Oracle Sourcing 11i10 Help Guide

ORACLE SOURCING
On line Help Guide

Release 11.5.10
A collection of the on line help content
April 2006
Oracle Sourcing Help
Contents
1. Getting Started .......................................................................................................... 9

1.1 New to Sourcing? ............................................................................................... 9
1.1.1 What can I do with Oracle Sourcing? ...................................................... 9
1.1.2 What is required of me to participate? ................................................... 10
1.2 Getting Started with Oracle Sourcing............................................................ 12
1.2.1 Frequently Asked Questions: Oracle Sourcing ...................................... 12
1.2.1.1 What is Oracle Sourcing?....................................................................... 12
1.2.1.2 What are the differences between the available negotiation types?....... 15
1.2.1.3 What time saving functions are available to me when creating
negotiations? .......................................................................................... 17
1.2.1.4 Who can utilize the spreadsheet functionality?...................................... 19
1.2.1.5 Are reusable invitation lists and reusable attribute lists shared
across all three negotiation types?.......................................................... 19
1.2.1.6 What is attribute based negotiation and how can I use it? ..................... 19
1.2.1.7 I just saved a negotiation as a draft document. How do I continue
working on it? ........................................................................................ 19
1.2.1.8 How do I stop others from editing a draft negotiation I am working
on? .......................................................................................................... 19
1.2.1.9 What is the minimum information I need to enter before I can save
a draft negotiation?................................................................................. 20
1.2.1.10 If I have saved a draft of a new Quoting/Bidding round, can I award
business to quotes/bids from the previous round? ................................. 20
1.2.1.11 Why do some items in my negotiation have item numbers and
others do not? ......................................................................................... 20
1.2.1.12 I know I can create RFQs and auctions in both Oracle Purchasing
and Oracle Sourcing. What are the differences?.................................... 20
1.2.1.13 What happens if I cancel a negotiation having backing requisitions
in Oracle Purchasing? ............................................................................ 21
1.2.1.14 What is Multi-Attribute Weighted Scoring and how does it work?....... 21
1.2.1.15 What does the Price to Total Score ratio mean? .................................... 22
1.2.1.16 What is the difference between Price-Only and Multi-Attribute
Weighted Scoring RFQs/auctions? ........................................................ 22
1.2.1.17 Can I accept multiple currencies in my negotiation? ............................. 22
1.2.1.18 How do I invite non-registered supplier contacts to register with the
system?................................................................................................... 22
1.2.1.19 How can I invite suppliers to participate in my negotiation?................. 24
1.2.1.20 What is the purpose of notifications? Who receives them and when?... 24
1.2.1.21 When does an invitee receive a reminder email notification? ............... 25
1.2.1.22 Do suppliers need to acknowledge their intent to participate before
submitting responses? ............................................................................ 26
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1.2.1.23 Can I respond to a negotiation created by someone in my company? ... 26

1.2.1.24 What is the quickest way to respond to a negotiation that has many
line items? .............................................................................................. 26
1.2.1.25 Can I invite additional suppliers to an RFQ or auction I've already
created? .................................................................................................. 27
1.2.1.26 How many characters can be entered into the Item Description and
the Note fields? ...................................................................................... 27
1.2.1.27 Can the system administrator require buyers to use a certain rank
indicator?................................................................................................ 27
1.2.1.28 How can I check which purchase orders were created after
completing my RFQ/auction? ................................................................ 27
1.2.2 Getting Started with RFQs ..................................................................... 28
1.2.3 Frequently Asked Questions: RFQs....................................................... 30
1.2.3.1 What are the Unlock Date and the Unseal Date?................................... 30
1.2.3.2 Can I submit multiple quotes per round? ............................................... 30
1.2.3.3 Can I cancel or retract my quote? .......................................................... 30
1.2.3.4 What are the Quote Currency and the RFQ Currency? ......................... 30
1.2.3.5 What is the most efficient way to create an RFQ with several line
items? ..................................................................................................... 30
1.2.3.6 What is the most efficient way to quote on many line items in an
RFQ? ...................................................................................................... 31
1.2.3.7 How can I view the quote values for all the price elements of an
RFQ item? .............................................................................................. 31
1.2.3.8 What is the Promise Date, and why would I enter one? ........................ 31
1.2.3.9 Is an RFQ always blind or sealed and why? .......................................... 31
1.2.3.10 How can I invite a group of people from a supplier?............................. 31
1.2.3.11 Can I invite additional suppliers to subsequent rounds of an RFQ? ...... 31
1.2.3.12 In a sealed RFQ, can I see who is bidding? ........................................... 32
1.2.3.13 Why can't I see the graphical monitor in a sealed RFQ? ....................... 32
1.2.3.14 Can I close my RFQ earlier than the original close time? ..................... 32
1.2.3.15 How do I start another round of quoting in an RFQ? ............................ 32
1.2.3.16 Can I modify an initial RFQ for the next round? ................................... 33
1.2.4 Getting Started with Auctions................................................................ 33
1.2.5 Frequently Asked Questions: Auctions.................................................. 36
1.2.5.1 What are the different auction styles?.................................................... 36
1.2.5.2 What is the difference between Quote/Bid start price and target
price? ...................................................................................................... 36
1.2.5.3 Why isn't there a target price for every item? ........................................ 36
1.2.5.4 What is the target price used for?........................................................... 36
1.2.5.5 Can someone in my company award an auction that I create? .............. 36
1.2.5.6 Can two people from the same company bid on the same auction? ...... 36
1.2.5.7 When two respondents from the same company place bids, can they
view each other's bid details?................................................................. 37
1.2.5.8 If my RFQ/auction is open to all suppliers, why would I invite
suppliers to participate?.......................................................................... 37
1.2.5.9 How do I initiate a new round of quoting or bidding?........................... 37
1.2.5.10 Why is the "Can bidders see other bidders notes and attachments?"
bid control not available for blind auctions?.......................................... 40
1.2.5.11 Can a bidder retract a bid? ..................................................................... 41
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1.2.5.12 Why can't I always view scores and weights set up by the buyer? ........ 41
1.2.5.13 Why are display-only attributes not visible in the Bid Compare
page? ...................................................................................................... 41
1.2.5.14 How can I extend an auction beyond the close date/time? .................... 41
1.2.5.15 How do two bids with the same score get ranked if the prices are
the same?................................................................................................ 41
1.2.5.16 What is a Single Best Bid?..................................................................... 41
1.2.5.17 What is the difference between Proxy and Power Bidding?.................. 42
1.2.5.18 How does Proxy Bidding work in Multi-Attribute Weighted
Scoring auctions? ................................................................................... 43
1.2.5.19 Can a bidder see the names of the other bidders? .................................. 43
2. Help for Sourcing Buyers ....................................................................................... 44
2.1 Creating Negotiations ...................................................................................... 44
2.1.1 Creating RFIs, RFQs, and Buyer's Auctions.......................................... 44
2.1.1.1 How do I create a new negotiation?....................................................... 44
2.1.1.2 How do I create a new Request for Information (RFI)? ........................ 44
2.1.1.3 How do I use Quick Links?.................................................................... 47
2.1.1.4 How does Oracle Sourcing use information in Oracle Purchasing
when AutoCreating draft sourcing documents?..................................... 47
2.1.1.5 How do I edit a negotiation document Autocreated in Oracle
Purchasing? ............................................................................................ 50
2.1.1.6 What information must I provide to create my negotiation header?...... 51
2.1.1.7 Can I accept responses in multiple currencies?...................................... 55
2.1.1.8 How do I restrict a supplier to a particular currency? ............................ 56
2.1.1.9 How do I add lines to a negotiation?...................................................... 57
2.1.1.10 How do I define services related lines?.................................................. 63
2.1.1.11 What are response controls?................................................................... 64
2.1.1.12 Can I ensure that an award recommendation gets approved before I
generate its purchasing document? ........................................................ 68
2.1.1.13 How do I invite suppliers to participate in my negotiation? .................. 69
2.1.1.14 How do I create an amendment to a negotiation? .................................. 70
2.1.2 Templates, Spreadsheets and Lists......................................................... 71
2.1.2.1 How do I use negotiation templates? ..................................................... 71
2.1.2.2 What are line attributes and attribute lists, and how do I use them?...... 71
2.1.2.3 How do I create and edit negotiation templates? ................................... 72
2.1.2.4 How do I create and edit a reusable invitation list? ............................... 73
2.1.2.5 What happens to the item category when I create a negotiation by
applying a template and using spreadsheet upload? .............................. 74
2.1.2.6 What happens to the attributes/price elements when I create a
negotiation by applying a template and using spreadsheet upload? ...... 74
2.1.3 Item Attributes, Attribute Scoring, Price Elements, and Price
Breaks..................................................................................................... 75
2.1.3.1 What are line attributes, and why would I add them to my
negotiation lines? ................................................................................... 75
2.1.3.2 How do I add line attributes to my negotiation? .................................... 75
2.1.3.3 Can I base my award decision on line attributes other than just
price? ..................................................................................................... 78
2.1.3.4 How do I define weighted attributes and scores for my negotiation
lines? ...................................................................................................... 81
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2.1.3.5 How do I use price elements? ................................................................ 84

2.1.3.6 What are Reusable Price Element Lists, and how do I create and use
them? ...................................................................................................... 84
2.1.3.7 What are price breaks, and how do I use them?..................................... 86
2.1.4 Additional Creation Topics .................................................................... 88
2.1.4.1 What are some negotiations strategies I can use? .................................. 88
2.1.4.2 What is a sourcing event? ...................................................................... 91
2.1.4.3 Are there any shortcuts available when creating a sourcing
document? .............................................................................................. 92
2.1.4.4 Can I create and save sourcing documents without submitting them?
............................................................................................................... 93
2.1.4.5 How do I create a deliverable and use it in a negotiation document?.... 95
2.1.4.6 How do I copy a sourcing document?.................................................... 96
2.1.4.7 What are contract terms and conditions, and how do I use them in
my negotiation?...................................................................................... 96
2.1.4.8 How do I view the backing information for lines AutoCreated from
Oracle Purchasing?................................................................................. 97
2.1.4.9 What are amount based line types, and how are they used? .................. 98
2.1.4.10 How do collaboration teams work? ....................................................... 98
2.1.4.11 Who can participate as team members? ................................................. 99
2.1.4.12 How do security levels work? .............................................................. 100
2.1.4.13 What are global agreements, and how do I use them?......................... 100
2.2 Using Oracle Services Procurement and Oracle Procurement
Contracts......................................................................................................... 102
2.2.1 How do I create a deliverable and use it in a negotiation document?.. 102
2.2.2 What kind of services can I negotiate for?........................................... 103
2.2.3 How do I define services related lines?................................................ 103
2.2.4 What are contract terms and conditions, and how do I use them in
my negotiation?.................................................................................... 104
2.3 Monitoring Negotiations................................................................................ 105
2.3.1 How do I access negotiations? ............................................................. 105
2.3.2 How do I monitor the negotiations I have created? ............................. 106
2.3.3 How do I respond on behalf of suppliers without Internet access?...... 106
2.3.4 What are Your Negotiations at a Glance?............................................ 107
2.3.5 How do I use the Graphic Monitor to compare competing quotes or
bids for a particular negotiation line?................................................... 107
2.3.6 How do I download the responses I have received? ............................ 108
2.3.7 How do I analyze the responses I have received?................................ 109
2.3.8 What are price breaks, and how do I use them?................................... 110
2.3.9 How do buyers and suppliers communicate while a negotiation is in
progress? .............................................................................................. 112
2.3.10 Can I invite additional suppliers to a negotiation I've already
created? ................................................................................................ 114
2.3.11 How do I extend a negotiation that is in progress? .............................. 114
2.3.12 How do I change my auction's AutoExtend settings while the
auction is in progress?.......................................................................... 115
2.3.13 What is shortlisting and how do I use it? ............................................. 116
2.3.14 How do I initiate a new round of responding?..................................... 117
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2.3.15 How do I close a negotiation before its scheduled close date and
time?..................................................................................................... 120
2.3.16 How do I cancel a negotiation?............................................................ 120
2.3.17 How do I create an amendment to a negotiation? ................................ 120
2.3.18 How do I print information on my negotiation? .................................. 121
2.3.19 How do I view the approval history for my negotiation? .................... 122
2.3.20 How do I manage deliverables I have assigned to a negotiation?........ 123
2.4 Awarding Negotiations .................................................................................. 124
2.4.1 How do I view the responses I have received? .................................... 124
2.4.2 How do I unlock and unseal a sealed RFQ or auction? ....................... 124
2.4.3 What are the different methods I can use when performing awards? .. 124
2.4.4 How do I award business in an RFQ or auction?................................. 127
2.4.5 How do I download the responses I have received? ............................ 128
2.4.6 How do I manually score header attributes? ........................................ 129
2.4.7 How do I use a spreadsheet to award negotiation items?..................... 130
2.4.8 How do I allocate backing requisitions among awarded items? .......... 131
2.4.9 How do I disqualify responses I receive for an RFI, RFQ, or
auction? ................................................................................................ 133
2.4.10 What information is contained on the Award Summary page? ........... 133
2.4.11 Can I see information on my negotiations once I have completed
awarding them? .................................................................................... 135
2.4.12 How do I generate a purchase order document? .................................. 136
2.4.13 What is contract binding?..................................................................... 137
2.5 Searching......................................................................................................... 137
2.5.1 How do I search for information on Oracle Sourcing? ........................ 137
2.5.1.1 Searching for your negotiations in which you are participating: ......... 138
2.5.1.2 Searching for all negotiations to which you have access:.................... 138
2.5.1.3 Searching for draft negotiations ........................................................... 139
2.5.1.4 Searching for suppliers:........................................................................ 139
2.5.1.5 Searching for lines and categories........................................................ 140
2.5.1.6 Searching for addresses:....................................................................... 141
2.5.1.7 Searching for lists................................................................................. 141
3. My Profile .............................................................................................................. 142
3.1 How do I update my Sourcing personal options? ....................................... 142
4. Sourcing Buyer Intelligence Reports................................................................... 143
4.1 Introduction to Sourcing Intelligence........................................................... 143
4.1.1 What is Sourcing Intelligence? ............................................................ 143
4.1.2 What are the Sourcing Intelligence reports I can generate?................. 143
4.1.2.1 Awards by Supplier report ................................................................... 143
4.1.2.2 Savings by Category report.................................................................. 144
4.1.2.3 Awarded Bids Detail report ................................................................. 144
What is the Awarded Bids Detail report? ............................................ 144
4.1.2.4 Awarded Quotes report ........................................................................ 145
What is the Awarded Quotes report? ................................................... 145
4.1.3 How do I export data to a spreadsheet? ............................................... 145
4.1.3.1 How do I run reports? .......................................................................... 147
4.2 Intelligence Reports ....................................................................................... 147
4.2.1 What is the Awards by Supplier report? .............................................. 147
4.2.2 What is the Savings by Category report?............................................. 148
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4.2.3 What is the Awarded Bids Detail report? ............................................ 148

4.2.4 What is the Awarded Quotes report? ................................................... 149
5. Help for Sourcing Suppliers................................................................................. 150
5.1 Responding to Negotiations........................................................................... 150
5.1.1 How do I access negotiations? ............................................................. 150
5.1.2 How do I use Quick Links?.................................................................. 151
5.1.3 How do I respond to a negotiation? ..................................................... 152
5.1.4 How do I view the details of a negotiation before placing a response?
.............................................................................................................. 152
5.1.5 How do I respond to a Request for Information (RFI)?....................... 153
5.1.6 How do I submit a response online? .................................................... 154
5.1.7 How do I view the attachments associated with the negotiation to
which I am responding? ....................................................................... 158
5.1.8 How do I use item attributes and price elements when responding to
a negotiation? ....................................................................................... 158
5.1.9 What is AutoRefresh? .......................................................................... 159
5.1.10 What is proxy bidding and how does it work?..................................... 159
5.1.11 How do I turn off proxy bidding? ........................................................ 161
5.1.12 What is power bid?............................................................................... 161
5.1.13 How do I download a spreadsheet and respond offline?...................... 162
5.1.14 How do I rebid on an RFQ or auction? ................................................ 163
5.1.15 How do I respond to a negotiation that has gone to an additional
round of responding?............................................................................ 163
5.1.16 Why would a negotiation have special terms and conditions? ............ 164
5.1.17 How do I respond to an amendment to a sourcing document? ............ 164
5.1.18 How do I respond to a deliverable defined to a negotiation?............... 165
5.1.19 How do I respond to a service-related line?......................................... 166
5.2 Monitoring Negotiations................................................................................ 167
5.2.1 How do I monitor negotiations to which I've responded? ................... 167
5.2.2 How do I use Quick Links?.................................................................. 167
5.2.3 How do I track the status of my responses?......................................... 167
5.2.4 What information is contained on the Disqualified Responses page? . 168
5.2.5 What information is contained on the Awarded Items page? .............. 169
5.2.6 What information is contained on the Rejected Items page?............... 170
progress? .............................................................................................. 170
5.2.8 How do I turn off proxy bidding? ........................................................ 172
5.2.9 How do I print information on my negotiation? .................................. 173
5.2.10 How do I respond to an amendment to a sourcing document? ............ 174
5.2.11 How do I respond to a deliverable defined to a negotiation?............... 175
5.2.12 How do I respond to a service-related line?......................................... 176
5.3 Searching......................................................................................................... 177
5.3.1 How do I search for negotiations? ....................................................... 177
6. Additional Information......................................................................................... 178
6.1 Additional Topics ........................................................................................... 178
6.1.1 What are the benefits of registering and participating in this system?
.............................................................................................................. 178
6.1.2 Can international companies participate? ............................................ 179
6.1.3 What is a WinZip (or zip) file? ............................................................ 179
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6.1.4 Why can't I access some pages, links, buttons, or task bar options? ... 180
6.1.5 Whom should I contact about technical difficulties?........................... 180
6.1.6 What if I have problems uploading files? ............................................ 180
6.2 Glossary........................................................................................................... 180
6.3 Documentation Accessibility ......................................................................... 195
6.3.1 Accessibility of Code Examples in Documentation ............................ 195
6.3.2 Accessibility of Links to External Web Sites in Documentation......... 195
6.4 Product Integration and Licensing............................................................... 195
7. Appendix ................................................................................................................ 196
7.1 What are the Sourcing Intelligence reports I can generate?...................... 196
7.1.1 What are the Awards by Supplier report? ............................................ 196
7.1.2 What is the Savings by Item report? .................................................... 197
7.1.3 What is the Awarded Bids Detail report? ............................................ 197
7.1.4 What is the Awarded Quotes report? ................................................... 198
7.2 Reusable Attribute Lists ................................................................................ 198
7.2.1 How do I create an attribute list? ......................................................... 198
7.3 What are score settings and how do I use them with header attributes? . 199
7.3.1 What are header attributes and how do I use them?............................. 199
7.4 How do I enter business terms and conditions for my RFxs and
auctions? ......................................................................................................... 200
7.5 How do I use the Graphical Monitor to view responses to items in my
negotiation?..................................................................................................... 202
7.6 Why are some RFQs and auctions associated with a sourcing event? ...... 203
7.7 What are reusable price elements and how do I create them? .................. 203
7.8 Can suppliers communicate with each other while a negotiation is in
process? ........................................................................................................... 204
7.9 About Contract Templates ............................................................................ 205
7.9.1 About Clauses ...................................................................................... 205
Standard Clauses .................................................................................. 205
Non-Standard Clauses.......................................................................... 205
7.9.1.1 About the Contract Terms Library....................................................... 206
7.9.2 About Variables ................................................................................... 206
System-Defined Variables ................................................................... 206
Table Variables .................................................................................... 207
Deliverable Variables........................................................................... 207
User-Defined Variables........................................................................ 207
Variable Identification ......................................................................... 207
Value Sets for Variables....................................................................... 208
7.9.3 About Deliverables............................................................................... 208
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1. Getting Started
1.1 New to Sourcing?
1.1.1 What can I do with Oracle Sourcing?

If you are a Sourcing Buyer, see Getting Started for Buyers.
If you are a Sourcing Supplier, see Getting Started for Suppliers.
If you are responsible for administering the Sourcing system, see Getting Started for
the Sourcing Super User.
Getting Started for Buyers

As a Sourcing Buyer you have access to a wide range functionality with Oracle
Sourcing. You can create a request for information (RFIs), request for quotations
(RFQs), and Buyer's Auction. If your system is integrated with Oracle Purchasing,
you can also use requisition information contained in Oracle Purchasing to create
draft RFQs and auctions which you can then complete and submit using Oracle
Sourcing. You can monitor your negotiations in real time and communicate with
participants using online discussions.
To create an RFI, RFQ, buyer's auction (See Section 2.1 “Creating
Negotiations”), click the appropriate create link from the Quick Links section
of the Negotiations Home page.
To create templates and reusable lists to simplify negotiation creation, click
the appropriate link(s) in the Quick Links section of the Negotiations Home
page.
To manage draft negotiations on which you and others may be working, click
"Edit" under the Drafts Quick Links section.
To monitor the negotiations in which you are participating, check the
Negotiations at a Glance section. Use the Search Negotiations fields at the
top of the page to search for a particular negotiation
To edit your personal information (See Section 3.1 “How do I update my
Sourcing personal options”), click the Preferences link at the top of the page.
You can enter many different personal options such as your language, date
format, and password, among others.
This system also provides graphical summary and detail reports (See
Appendix 7.1 “What are the Sourcing Intelligence reports I can generate”)
for many transaction types. Click the Intelligence tab on the Sourcing Home
page.
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Getting Started for Suppliers

Oracle Sourcing Suppliers can use the product functionality to quickly locate and
respond to negotiations. Sourcing Buyers (along with the Sourcing Super User),
can invite you to register with the system. Once you receive a registration
invitation and have registered and been approved, you can start participating in
negotiations.
To respond to negotiations to which you have been specifically invited, view
the Open Invitations section of the Negotiations Home page. To respond to
a negotiation, click the negotiation number. Use the Search Negotiations
fields to search for a particular negotiation.
To monitor the negotiations in which you are participating, check the Your
Active and Draft Responses section.
To edit your personal information , click the Preferences link at the top of the
page. You can enter many different personal options such as your language,
date format, and password, among others. You can also click "Edit" link in
the Profile section of Quick Links update contact information such as your
name and email address.
Getting Started for the Sourcing Super User

If you are the Oracle Sourcing Super User, you are responsible for setting up and
maintaining your company's system. Many setup tasks were probably performed
during implementation, however you may wish to do any of the following:
Set up terms and conditions for negotiations
If integrated with a procurement or purchasing system (for example Oracle
Purchasing) register users for your existing suppliers
Create attribute lists, invitation lists, price elements, and price element lists
See the Oracle Sourcing Administration and Maintenance Guide for details on how
to perform these tasks.
1.1.2 What is required of me to participate?

If you are a buyer, you must ensure that your supplier companies are
defined to your purchasing system, and their contacts are registered with
Oracle Sourcing.
You must honor the contracts and commitments you make to other
participants.
You must meet the following hardware and software requirements:
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Hardware Requirements
To connect to the system, you need Internet access by a computer with a modem, or
an Internet appliance. The following are suggested minimum hardware
specifications:
28K modem
8 MB RAM
266 MHz Pentium processor
Software Requirements
To view and use the system, you need a standard Web browser, like Netscape
Navigator (version 4.5+, but not 6.x) or Microsoft Internet Explorer (version 5.x).
Your browser must have cookies enabled, and must support Secure Socket Layer
(SSL) connections.
To download a free copy of Netscape Navigator, go to

http://www.netscape.com/download/ and locate Netscape Navigator. To download a
free copy of Internet Explorer, go to http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/ and
search for Internet Explorer 5.x on the platform of your choice.
What are cookies?

A cookie is a small amount of information that a Web site copies to your hard disk.
A cookie can help a Web site identify you. For instance, if you shop for books online,
the bookstore's Web site might use a cookie to store information about your
favourite subjects, and later use that information to recommend particular books.
What is Secure Socket Layer (SSL)?

SSL is a high-level security protocol for protecting the confidentiality and security
of data while it is being transmitted through the Internet. SSL is used by most
commerce servers on the World Wide Web. Based on RSA Data Security's public-
key cryptography, SSL is an open protocol that has been submitted to several
industry groups as the industry security standard. SSL is denoted by the letters
HTTPS in the URL.
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1.2 Getting Started with Oracle Sourcing
1.2.1 Frequently Asked Questions: Oracle Sourcing
1.2.1.1 What is Oracle Sourcing?

Oracle Sourcing offers flexible negotiation capabilities to buyers and sellers,
enabling them to efficiently obtain the best possible prices for goods and services.
Prices are established based on actual supply and demand at the time the negotiation
is transacted.
The four different types of sourcing documents available - requests for quotations
(RFQs), requests for information (RFIs), and buyer's auctions. Buyers use real-time
interaction to obtain information on suppliers' products and services, and then use
that information to create negotiations that drive prices based not only on price, but
on lead times, quantity, and item-specific attributes. Buyers and sellers, who might
never meet face-to-face, can bypass intermediaries and establish relationships that
might not have been possible using more traditional methods of buying and selling.
Common Functionality
All sourcing document types have the following common functionality to simplify
the negotiation creation process:
Reusable Attribute Lists (See Appendix 7.2.1 “How do I create an attribute
list?”)
Reusable Invitation Lists (See Section 2.1.2.4 “How do I create and edit a
reusable invitation list”)
Sourcing Template (See Section 2.1.2.3. “How do I create and edit
negotiation templates?”) and Copy features (See Section 2.1.4.6 “How do I
copy a sourcing document”)
Multiple Currency support (See Section 2.1.1.7 “Can I accept responses in
multiple currencies”)
Multiple Language support
Notes and Attachments (See Chapter 6.2 “Glossary”)
Terms and Conditions enforcement (See Section 5.1.16 “Why would a
negotiation have special terms and conditions?”)
RFIs
Oracle Sourcing allows buyers to qualify a wide group of suppliers and their
products and services using RFIs. Buyers can use the information obtained to
subsequently conduct an RFQ or buyer's auction.
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RFQs
Negotiations supports the full RFQ business process. RFQs enable buyers to request
quotes from suppliers for complex and hard-to-define items or services such as
make-to-order manufacturing items or construction projects.
Typically an RFQ consists of multiple rounds with competition focused on
which supplier(s) can meet the specific requirements in addition to price.
The process can last from days to weeks. Buyers usually review the received
quotes, amend the supplier list and submit a modified RFQ for subsequent
rounds of quoting.
Negotiations supports blind and sealed (See Chapter 6.2 Glossary) RFQs.
Suppliers are not allowed to see competitive quotes while the RFQ is in
progress.
Auctions
Auctions supports the complete auction process from auction creation to final award
to purchase order generation. Auctions enable buyers to solicit bids for goods and
services that are clearly defined, such as office furniture or memory chips.
Auctions last for a set period of time, typically a matter of a few hours,
although the close time can be changed manually or extended automatically
based on last minute bids.
Auctions are typically focused on creating competition between sellers.
Auctions supports open, blind, and sealed auction styles (See Chapter 6.2
“Glossary”).
Guidelines for choosing a negotiation type

Use the following table to determine which type of negotiation best suits your
business needs. These recommendations should only be used as guidelines. Your
specific needs may dictate that you use a negotiation type that has not been
specifically recommended for the scenarios listed below.
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Description of your goods or

Buyer's Auction RFQ
services
Easily definable item with few

Y -
attributes
Commodity and near-

- -
commodity item
Complex item with many

- Y
attributes
High number of responses

Y -
expected in a short time
Other decision criteria - -
All participants in the

negotiation should be able to
view competitive responses Y -
but not the responder's identity
(Open Style)
Only the buyer should be able

to see the responses Y Y
(Closed Style)
No one can view the responses

until the buyer unlocks and
unseals them Y Y
(Sealed Style)
using AutoExtend
Closing time should be using Manual
using Manual
modifiable Extend/Close Early
Extend/Close Early
using Graphical
using Graphical Monitor
Should be able to monitor and Monitor
using Quotation Compare
analyze responses online using Bid Compare
using Quotation History
using Bid History
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1.2.1.2 What are the differences between the available negotiation types?
The four types of negotiations are Requests for Information (RFIs)', request for
quotes (RFQs), and auctions. See the table below to help you determine which type
of negotiation to create.
Requests for Information (RFIs)
RFI's are used to qualify suppliers and their goods and services for
subsequent procurement activities. RFIs are used more for gathering
information on goods and service provided by a supplier than to lock in
particular price information. Therefore, RFIs typically do not make reference
to item price or quantity. RFIs identify important item criteria on which the
buyer needs information. The supplier responds by answering the buyer's
questions. The buyer uses supplier responses to identify the group of
suppliers who should be included in the
subsequent negotiation. RFIs can be (and typically are) taken to multiple
rounds until the buyer has enough information to identify supplier(s) with
which to deal. At the conclusion of the RFI cycle, the information contained
in the RFI can be copied into an RFQ or buyer's auction.
Requests for quotes (RFQs)

RFQs enable buyers to collect quotes from suppliers for complex and hard-
to-define items or services, such as made-to-order manufacturing or
construction projects. The RFQ process is generally the longest of the
negotiation processes. Once suppliers have submitted an initial round of
proposals (quotes), the buyer has the power to fine-tune the RFQ and initiate
detailed negotiations, as necessary. This process may go through multiple
rounds of negotiations and quotes. RFQs can be blind (buyer can see the
quotes during the RFQ, but suppliers cannot) or sealed (neither buyer nor
suppliers can see the quotes until the RFQ is closed and the quotes are
unsealed), so suppliers can never see each other's quotes while the
negotiation is in progress.
Auctions
Auctions enable buyers to solicit bids for goods and services that are clearly
defined, such as office furniture and memory chips. Buyers can discover new
suppliers or buyers and get competitive pricing or improved service. Buyers
can tailor each auction to control who can see bids during the auction,
whether multiple rounds of bidding are possible, and whether partial bids are
allowed. Many different items can be included in an auction.
If permitted by the buyer, suppliers can view all bids submitted while the
auction is open. This information generates competition and encourages
suppliers to submit their best possible price. Once the auction is completed,
suppliers are immediately notified of the auction results via online
notifications.
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Comparison of the negotiation types:
Negotiation
RFI RFQ Auction
Type
RFQs allow
buyers to collect
quotes from
RFIs allow buyers suppliers for
to solicit complex items
information from and services. Auctions allow buyers to
suppliers on the Suppliers submit solicit bids for items and
goods and services a single quote services that are clearly
the suppliers per round. defined, for example,
Characteris provide. This Buyers review office furniture and
tics allows buyers to the quotes, may memory chips.
qualify a group of amend the Auctions are usually short
suppliers and supplier list, and in duration and require a
identify the submit the RFQ fast bidding process
suppliers to be for subsequent leading to a quick award.
included later in rounds of
the negotiation negotiating. The
RFQ process is
typically longer
than an auction.
Response
Response Quote Bid
Document
Open, Blind, or
Style(s) Blind or Sealed Open, Blind, or Sealed.
Sealed
Yes.
Yes, if enabled.
Multiple Yes RFQs, by
Rounds Through bid controls,
nature, usually
Supported? buyers can enable multiple
lead to multiple
rounds of bidding.
rounds.
Can
Include
Yes Yes. Yes.
Multiple
Items?
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Multiple
Quotes
Attribute Based The RFQ
Bidding (See business process Multiple Bids
Section 5.1.8) allows suppliers If allowed by buyer,
RFIs use item to submit a bidders may submit
attributes to solicit single quote per multiple bids.
item information round. Proxy Bidding (See
from suppliers.
Attribute Based Section 5.1.10)
Manual Bidding (See Power Bidding (See
Extend/Early Section 5.1.8) Section 5.1.10)
Close (See
Sections Price Elements Attribute Based Bidding
2.4.11/2.4.15) (See Section (See Section 5.1.8)
5.1.8)
Buyers can Price Elements (See
manually extend Manual Section 5.1.8)
Other
an RFI or close an Extend/Early
RFI earlier than Close (See AutoExtend (See Section
the scheduled Section 2.4.11) 2.4.11)
close date. Buyers can Manual Extend (See
manually extend Section 2.4.11)
Convert to
an RFQ or close
negotiation
document (See an RFQ earlier Early Close (See Section
than the 2.4.15)
Section 2.1.1.2)
scheduled close Minimum Bid
Information
date. Decrement/Increment
obtained during
(See Section 2.1.1.11)
the RFI can be Price Breaks
used to create a (See Section Price Breaks (See Section
new negotiation 2.1.3.7) 2.1.3.7)
document.
1.2.1.3 What time saving functions are available to me when creating

negotiations?
There are many ways you can streamline the creation of sourcing documents:
Copying an existing document

You can copy documents that you, or any other users in your organization, have
previously created. The details of the document such as the controls, terms and
conditions, item information, and invitation list are copied into a new document
which you can edit if necessary.
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Using document templates

If many of the negotiations you create contain the same features, you may want to
create a template that you can use each time you create a sourcing document. This
allows you to standardize business practices and save time. Your template will
contain the features that are similar among the negotiations you commonly create.
When you create a document using a template, you simply open the template and
add to or edit details of the template as necessary.
If you are assigned the Manage Sourcing Document Templates job function, you can
also create and manage public templates in addition to your private ones. The public
document templates will be available for every Sourcing buyer at your company.
Using Reusable Attribute Lists

Attribute lists can streamline the document creation process while providing
standardization for negotiation items. If you are assigned the Manage Attribute List
job function, you can create attribute lists for use by all Sourcing buyers at your
company. An attribute list is a grouping of attributes that are commonly used
together to describe a good or service.
Using Reusable Invitation Lists

You can create Reusable Invitation Lists containing names of suppliers who you
frequently invite to your negotiations. Invitation lists can be shared across the
company. This can help you standardize your business practice as well as speed up
the negotiation creation process.
If you are assigned the Manage Invitation List job function, you can create and
manage public Reusable Attribute Lists, in addition to your private ones. The public
lists will be available for Sourcing buyers at your company.
Using spreadsheets
You can download and use spreadsheets to efficiently create and award RFQs and
auctions having many line items.
Using draft RFQs/auctions

You can create and save an auction intending to submit it later. These draft
documents also allow multiple collaborators to work on the same document.
Creating RFQs/auctions using Autocreate

If your company has licensed both Oracle Purchasing and Oracle Sourcing, you can
use the Autocreate feature of Oracle Purchasing to select and group requisitions to
create draft RFQs or auctions.
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1.2.1.4 Who can utilize the spreadsheet functionality?

Both buyers and suppliers can utilize the spreadsheet functionality to save time when
creating or Quoting/Bidding on multi-line item negotiations. Buyers can efficiently
create and award RFQs and auctions while suppliers can also use this functionality
to assist in bidding in auctions or submitting quotes for RFQs.
1.2.1.5 Are reusable invitation lists and reusable attribute lists shared across all
three negotiation types?
Yes, these lists are shared across all document types and can be accessed by the
buyer as required.
1.2.1.6 What is attribute based negotiation and how can I use it?
Attribute based negotiations enable buyers to define multiple item-specific
characteristics, called item attributes, that allow bidders/suppliers not only to
respond to the price, quantity, and delivery, but also to other features salient to each
item. Depending on the setting chosen during the negotiation creation, these
attributes can be either required, optional, or display only.
Item attributes and their responses comprise the heart of the RFI process. When
creating an RFI, buyers define attributes for negotiation items. These attributes
represent important aspects of the item for which the buyers need information from
their suppliers. Suppliers reply to the item attribute, in essence "answering" the
buyer's question. The buyer then uses the suppliers' responses to qualify the group of
suppliers and to determine the best set of suppliers with which to later conduct a
negotiation.
1.2.1.7 I just saved a negotiation as a draft document. How do I continue

working on it?
You can continue working on a document saved as a draft by
After clicking Save Draft, you see the Confirmation page. From this page,
you can click "Continue editing your draft." Alternatively, you can click
"Manage Draft Negotiations" to access the Manage Draft Negotiations
page. From this page you can access and edit any of your draft negotiations.
1.2.1.8 How do I stop others from editing a draft negotiation I am working on?
Every time you edit a draft negotiation the system automatically locks the document,
ensuring that only one user can work on a draft at any time. You are granted
exclusive control until you release it. The document is released when
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You save it.

You submit it (the draft becomes a valid negotiation in the system).
You delete it from the Manage Draft Negotiations page. It is removed from
the system.
The draft creator selects the draft and clicks Unlock on the Manage Draft
Negotiations page. (The original creator can always unlock a draft.)
Another user removes the lock. (Users with the appropriate function security,
such as the Sourcing Super User, can unlock draft auctions/RFQ which were
locked by other users.)
1.2.1.9 What is the minimum information I need to enter before I can save a
draft negotiation?
Enter the information required for Step 1 of the creation process. You can save an
negotiation as a draft as soon as you get to Step 2.
If you wish to create a draft for a new round, you are not required to enter any
information. The information from the previous round is enough to save a draft.
1.2.1.10 If I have saved a draft of a new Quoting/Bidding round, can I award

business to quotes/bids from the previous round?
Once you save a new round of Quoting/Bidding, the system automatically updates
the status of the previous round to Round Completed. Negotiations with Round
Completed are not available for awarding.
However, you can delete the draft for the new round from the Manage Draft
Negotiations page. The system automatically updates the status of the previous
round to Closed, making it available for award.
1.2.1.11 Why do some items in my negotiation have item numbers and others do
not?
Item numbers and item revisions appear if the negotiation item is AutoCreated from
a requisition line having an item from the item master. Negotiations lines entered
directly in Oracle Sourcing can include item numbers and item revisions if the item
information was retrieved from the Item Master.
1.2.1.12 I know I can create RFQs and auctions in both Oracle Purchasing and
Oracle Sourcing. What are the differences?
You can create RFQs and auctions in both Oracle Purchasing and Oracle Sourcing.
Each has its own benefits:
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RFQs/auctions in Oracle Sourcing RFQs/auctions in Oracle Purchasing
Real time bidding, analysis and

Integrated with the item master
monitoring
RFQs can be created by copying from

Online Quoting/Bidding possible
blanket agreements
Spreadsheet Quoting/Bidding possible Suppliers can quote using EDI
Buyers and suppliers can negotiate on Buyers and suppliers can create price
price elements. breaks.
1.2.1.13 What happens if I cancel a negotiation having backing requisitions in

Oracle Purchasing?
As soon as you cancel a negotiation with backing requisitions, the requisitions
become available again to AutoCreate in Oracle Purchasing. New buyers can then
manage the requisitions as needed. The old Sourcing negotiation number remains on
the requisition line until a buyer creates a new negotiation using the requisition.
1.2.1.14 What is Multi-Attribute Weighted Scoring and how does it work?

Multi-Attribute Weighted Scoring is the ability for a buyer to use customizable
attributes to define a product or service in a quantifiable manner. This allows the
buyer to define the relative importance of each attribute by assigning weights to
these attributes and scores to expected values for each attribute.
Each weight assigned to an item attribute is a number between one and 100 that
represents the importance of that attribute compared to other item attributes. The
higher the weight, the more important the attribute to the item.
Scores are numbers between zero and 100 and are assigned to each possible attribute
value or range of values. The higher the score, the more desirable the attribute value
or range of values. Scores represent the desirability of that attribute value or range of
values compared to other values. The goal of scoring is to motivate a respondent to
respond with quotes/bids most closely matching the desired attribute values.
Weights and scores can be assigned to the custom attributes, quantity, or need-by
date. Custom attributes having weights and scores are called weighted attributes and
require a response. As responses are received, the system calculates a weighted score
for each attribute response and a Total Score for the item. It then ranks the scores for
the same item from different respondents based on a Price to Total Score ratio.
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1.2.1.15 What does the Price to Total Score ratio mean?

The Price to Total Score ratio is calculated only for Multi-Attribute Weighted
Scoring RFQ/Auctions and is used to rank quotes/bids. It is the ratio of Quote/Bid
price of an item to the sum of the weighted scores of all the Quote/Bid values
submitted for that item. The lowest ratio receives the highest rank. To lower the ratio
for an item included in a bid, the bidder/supplier must lower the Quote/Bid price for
the item and/or submit responses to the weighted attributes that increase the total
score for the item.
The lowest ratio among competing responses may not offer the lowest price, but it
offers the lowest price per point of score. In other words, it offers the best value for
the money. A buyer can view bids plotted on a Price to Total Score graph to assist in
analysis of quotes/bids. The buyer can still award the item regardless of the ratio.
1.2.1.16 What is the difference between Price-Only and Multi-Attribute Weighted

Scoring RFQs/auctions?
In a price-only negotiation, suppliers can quote/bid on price, quantity, delivery dates
and attributes of an item, however, the system ranks the supplier only on the basis of
price. In a Multi-Attribute Weighted Scoring negotiation, item attributes can be
scored and weighted. The winning response is decided based on the buyer's
definitions of the relative importance of item attributes, reflected in the Price to
Total Score ratio.
In both price-only and Multi-Attribute Weighted Scoring negotiation, the buyer can
still award the negotiation to any supplier regardless of the Price to Total Score ratio
values.
1.2.1.17 Can I accept multiple currencies in my negotiation?

Yes. When you create a new negotiation, the negotiation currency defaults to the
functional currency defined for your operating unit. However, you can allow bids or
quotes in currencies other than the negotiation currency. Whenever you view the
responses you have received, the system will automatically convert the responses to
the negotiation currency.
Though suppliers in a multi-currency negotiation can submit responses in several
currencies, they are allowed to respond in only one currency per response.
1.2.1.18 How do I invite non-registered supplier contacts to register with the

system?
If a supplier company has already been defined to your system (using Oracle
Purchasing) and you know of any non-registered contacts at the supplier company
whom you wish to invite to current or future negotiations, you can invite these users
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to register with the system. Or if you know the necessary contact information, you
can register them yourself. Either way, once the registration requests are approved,
you can begin inviting the new user to your negotiations.
To invite a non-registered user when creating a negotiation:

If the supplier company you wish to invite to your negotiation has at least one
registered user, you can invite additional non-registered users while creating your
negotiation document. These users receive a notification to register and the URL of
the registration site. Once they have registered, you can approve their registrations to
allow them to participate.
1. On the Invite Bidders/Invite Suppliers/Invite Respondents page, you can
enter the email address of the non-registered user in the Additional Contact
Email field.
2. Click Next and continue creating your sourcing document.
3. Once you receive a notification that the user has registered, you must
approve the registration. From the Portal page click Approve/Reject
Supplier Users.
4. On the Supplier User Registration Summary page, select the user you
would like to approve and click View Details.
5. On the Approve a Supplier User page, review the information supplied by
the user. If the information is correct, click Approve.
To invite a user to register:

If you have the Sourcing Super User authorization, you can directly invite a user to
register with the system
1. From the Portal page, click "Invite a Supplier User."
2. On the Invite a Supplier User page, enter the required information (if the
supplier company information does not exist within the system, a buyer with
the appropriate authorization can add the company to your Supplier Master).
3. Click Invite. The user is sent a registration notification including the
registration URL. Once the user has completed the registration form, you
receive a notification requesting that you approve the registration.
4. Once you receive a notification the user has registered, you must approve the
registration. From the Portal page, click Approve/Reject Supplier Users.
5. On the Supplier User Registration Summary page, select the user you
would like to approve and click View Details.
6. On the Approve a Supplier User page, review the information supplied by
the user. If the information is correct, click Approve.
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To register a user yourself:

Anyone with the Sourcing Super User authorization, can directly register and
approve users.
1. From the Portal page, click "Register a Supplier User."
2. On the Register an External User page, enter the required information.
Search for and select the supplier company name by using the
flashlight icon (if the supplier company information does not
exist within the system, a buyer with the appropriate
authorization can add the company to your Supplier Master).
Select the applications to which the user will have access.
3. Click Register. You receive a confirmation that the new user has been
registered.
1.2.1.19 How can I invite suppliers to participate in my negotiation?

You can invite suppliers to participate in your negotiation by selecting them from
the Supplier Master or by applying predefined invitation lists. Invitations are
automatically sent to each supplier.
1.2.1.20 What is the purpose of notifications? Who receives them and when?
Notifications are used to communicate specific events to users.
Event Recipient Purpose
Preview or open To inform them that the negotiation

Buyers
date/time is open for previewing or bidding
To invite them to acknowledge

Preview or open
All invited suppliers intent, and participate in the
date/time
negotiation
Preview or open All invited additional To invite them to register,

date/time contacts acknowledge intent, and participate
Early close of an To inform them about the newly

All invitees and suppliers
RFQ or auction updated close time
Extend close
To inform about the newly
date/time of an All invitees and suppliers
extended close date/time
RFQ or auction
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Disqualify a bid or Supplier whose response To inform the supplier the bid has
quote has been disqualified been disqualified
All bidders in the open and

To inform all bidders/suppliers that
Disqualify a bid or sealed auction, or all
a certain Quote/Bid has been
quote suppliers in the sealed
disqualified
RFQ.
Cancel a To notify them the negotiation is

All invitees and suppliers
negotiation closed
To notify the suppliers that the RFQ

Award an RFQ or or auction has been awarded and
All suppliers
auction how many lines have been accepted
or rejected
Starting a new
Suppliers who are invited To invite them to participate in an
round in an RFQ
for the new round additional round of negotiation
or auction
All suppliers from the

Starting a new To notify them that they are not
previous round who are
round in an RFQ invited for the additional round of
not invited in the new
or auction negotiation
round
Invitee not
acknowledging Supplier who hasn't To inform and encourage invitee to
intent within the responded acknowledge intent to participate
allowed time
1.2.1.21 When does an invitee receive a reminder email notification?

If companies do not acknowledge participation by a certain time, they receive a
reminder email notification once the negotiation has opened for either previewing or
responding. When the reminder gets sent depends on the duration of the negotiation.
The negotiation duration is the length of time between either the preview date (if the
buyer specified one) or the open date, and the close date.
Negotiation
Reminder Email Sent
Duration
Equal to or less than

One hour after the Preview/Open Date
24 hours
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More than 24 hours

but less than one One day after the Preview/Open Date
week
Equal to or longer
Three days after the Preview/Open Date
than one week
Notes:
If the buyers manually advance the close date to before the original reminder
time, then invitees do not receive a reminder. Otherwise, they receive it at the
original reminder time.
If additional companies are added before the original reminder time, these
new invitees receive reminders at the original time; however, if they are
added after the original reminder time, they do not receive reminders.
If the buyer starts another round of negotiation before the reminder time, the
reminder is not sent. The new round of negotiation is now treated as a regular
new negotiation and invited companies in the new round should
acknowledge their intent to participate again.
If the negotiation is closed, canceled or deleted before the reminder time,
then invitees do not receive any reminder.
1.2.1.22 Do suppliers need to acknowledge their intent to participate before

submitting responses?
Suppliers are encouraged to acknowledge their participation intention after they
receive the invitation email. Such acknowledgments are intended to enhance
communication between buyers and suppliers and inform buyers of the potential
participation. It is not mandatory to acknowledge your intent before submitting
responses.
1.2.1.23 Can I respond to a negotiation created by someone in my company?

No. You cannot respond to any negotiation that your company owns. However, you
can respond to negotiations created by your company's affiliates.
1.2.1.24 What is the quickest way to respond to a negotiation that has many line
items?
If the negotiation you wish to respond to contains many line items, you can
download a spreadsheet which you can complete offline to specify your response
information. Once you have completed this spreadsheet, you can upload it to enter
your responses into the system to. Bulk loading is also useful if you respond in
similar negotiations that occur repeatedly.
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1.2.1.25 Can I invite additional suppliers to an RFQ or auction I've already

created?
Yes. Any user assigned the appropriate job function can add suppliers to an RFQ or
auction any time before the close date and time.
1.2.1.26 How many characters can be entered into the Item Description and the
Note fields?
For an Item Description field, you can enter a maximum of 240 characters.
For a Note field, you can enter a maximum of 2000 characters.
1.2.1.27 Can the system administrator require buyers to use a certain rank
indicator?
Yes. As the system administrator, you can require a particular indicator be used for
all negotiations. Click the Administration tab, and then click "Negotiations
Configuration." Select the indicator and specify whether users can override your
selection.
1.2.1.28 How can I check which purchase orders were created after completing
my RFQ/auction?
There are various ways to check which purchase orders were created.
In Oracle Sourcing, access the negotiation whose associated purchase orders
you wish to see by entering the negotiation number into the Search
Negotiations fields. On the Negotiations Summary page, select Award
Summary from the Action menu and click Go. On the Award Summary
page, click the response number link to view the information on that
response including the corresponding purchase order created for that
response.
You can check your Notifications for the Purchase Order Creation
Notification, which includes the purchase order numbers along with other
information.
You can search for the purchase orders in Oracle Purchasing by entering the
negotiation data, for example, the negotiation number. This displays all
purchase orders for a particular negotiation. You can also search Oracle
Purchasing by entering the original requisition information.
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1.2.2 Getting Started with RFQs

RFQs support the full business process to solicit quotes from suppliers. The
suppliers' responses to the RFQ allow the buyer to compare quotes and negotiate the
best price and specifications for the good or service. RFQs enable buyers to collect
quotes from suppliers for complex and hard-to-define items or services. Once
suppliers have submitted an initial round of quotes, buyers can review quotes and
award the RFQ or submit a modified RFQ for another round of quoting.
The RFQ process usually lasts days or weeks through multiple rounds of
negotiations.
RFQ is typically used for complex items or services such as made-to-order
manufacturing items or construction projects.
RFQs typically consist of multiple rounds with competition focused on
whether supplier(s) can meet the specific requirements.
RFQs supports both blind and sealed RFQs. Suppliers cannot view
competing quotes while the negotiation is in progress.
Steps in the RFQ process include:

1. RFQ creation (See Section 2.1.1.1 “How do I create a new
negotiation”). Buyers initiate RFQs that may include multiple
line items by publishing the RFQ and inviting suppliers.
2. Quote preparation and submission (See Section 5.1.3 “How
do I respond to a negotiation”).Suppliers view the RFQ details
and submit their quotes online.
3. RFQ monitoring (See Section 2.4.2 “How do I monitor the
negotiations I have created”).Buyers can monitor real-time
quote activity and take appropriate action.
4. RFQ modification or awarding (See Section 2.5.4 “How do I
award business in an RFQ or auction”).
Buyers analyze the quotes and either award the RFQs or
modify the RFQs and open them for another round of quoting.
Once the RFQ is completed, suppliers are immediately
notified of the results via online notifications.
RFQ Capabilities
RFQ templates (See Section 2.1.2.3 “How do I create and edit negotiation
templates”).
Reusable attribute lists (See Appendix 7.2.1 “How do I create an attribute
list”).
Reusable invitation lists (See Section 2.1.2.4 “How do I create and edit a
reusable invitation list”).
Price elements (See Section 2.1.3.5 “How do I use price elements”).
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Price breaks (See Section 2.1.3.7 “What are price breaks, and how do I use
them”).
Manual extend (See Section 2.4.11 “How do I extend a negotiation that is in
progress”) and early close features (See Section 2.4.15 “How do I close a
negotiation before its scheduled close date and time”).
Multiple RFQ styles: blind or sealed (See Section 6.2 “Glossary”).
Sourcing Events (See Appendix 7.6 “Why are some RFQs and auctions
associated with a sourcing event”).
Canceling RFQs (See Section 2.4.16 “How do I cancel a negotiation”)and
Disqualifying quotes (2.5.9 “How do I disqualify responses I receive for an
RFI, RFQ, or auction”).
Monitoring quote activity in real-time (See Section 2.4.2 “How do I monitor
the negotiations I have created”).
Graphic RFQ monitor (See Appendix 7.5 “How do I use the Graphical
Monitor to view responses to items in my negotiation”)
Purchase order generation
Attribute based quoting (See Section 5.1.8 “How do I use item attributes and
price elements when responding to a negotiation”).
Capture Total Cost (See Appendix 7.7 “What are reusable price elements and
how do I create them”).
Terms and Conditions enforcement (See Section 5.1.16 “Why would a
negotiation have special terms and conditions”)
Quoting online (See Section 5.1.6 “How do I submit a response online”) and
offline (spreadsheet quoting), (5.1.13 “How do I download a spreadsheet and
respond offline”).
Multi-round quoting (See Section 2.4.14 “How do I initiate a new round of
responding”).
Quote comparison (See Section 2.4.5 “How do I use the Graphic Monitor to
compare competing quotes or bids for a particular negotiation line”).
Real-time status updates
Notes and attachments (See Section 6.2 “Glossary”).
Online or offline awarding capability (spreadsheet awarding), (See Section
2.5.4 “How do I award business in an RFQ or auction”).
Integration with Oracle Purchasing (See Section 2.1.14 “How does Oracle
Sourcing use information in Oracle Purchasing when AutoCreating draft
sourcing documents”).
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1.2.3 Frequently Asked Questions: RFQs
1.2.3.1 What are the Unlock Date and the Unseal Date?
The Unlock Date is the date when the buyer unlocks the closed RFQ to view the
received quotes. The Unseal Date is the date when the buyer unseals the unlocked
RFQ allowing the suppliers to view the quotes as well.
1.2.3.2 Can I submit multiple quotes per round?

If allowed by the quote controls, you can submit multiple quotes within the same
round.
1.2.3.3 Can I cancel or retract my quote?

No. You can contact the buyer who created the RFQ and ask to have your quote
disqualified, but quote disqualification is at the discretion of the buyer.
1.2.3.4 What are the Quote Currency and the RFQ Currency?
RFQ Currency
The RFQ currency is the functional currency for the set of books of the
organization under which the RFQ was created. It is the RFQ buyer's
reference and review currency.
Quote Currencies
Additional currencies in which quotes will be accepted.
An RFQ buyer can setup an RFQ to accept quotes in multiple currencies by selecting
the RFQ currency and then identifying any Quote currencies in which quotes will be
accepted. Suppliers can choose the Quote currency in which they will place their
quotes. Quotes are converted to the RFQ currency for quote review.
1.2.3.5 What is the most efficient way to create an RFQ with several line items?
You can use the spreadsheet functionality to create an RFQ with several items. You
can prepare your list of RFQ items offline and upload the completed spreadsheet.
This allows you to create your multi-line RFQ quickly. The system validates the data,
ensuring the integrity of the submitted RFQ items.
In a Multi-Attribute Weighted Scoring RFQ, you can upload items using a
spreadsheet, but you must enter the weights and scores for an item's scored attributes
online.
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1.2.3.6 What is the most efficient way to quote on many line items in an RFQ?
If an RFQ consists of many line items, the most efficient way for a supplier to quote
is to use a spreadsheet to download the contents of the RFQ and prepare the quotes
offline. Downloading the RFQ contents allows suppliers to quickly respond,
completing multiple item attributes. Suppliers complete the quoting process by
uploading the spread sheet back to the system. During the upload, spreadsheet items
are validated to ensure the integrity of the submitted quote.
1.2.3.7 How can I view the quote values for all the price elements of an RFQ
item?
You can view the quote values for an item's price elements from the Negotiations
Summary page.
1.2.3.8 What is the Promise Date, and why would I enter one?
In an RFQ whose outcome is a standard purchase order, Promise Date is an required
field. In an RFQ whose outcome is a blanket purchase agreement, the Promise Date
is required only if the RFQ uses multi-attribute weighted scoring and Promise Date
is one of the scored attributes. In all other cases, the Promise Date is optional.
When Promise Date is an optional response, you can enter a Promise Date to
differentiate your response from other competing responses.
1.2.3.9 Is an RFQ always blind or sealed and why?
An RFQ is always either blind or sealed. This is one of the feature of RFQs and
mirrors the general off-line behavior of this negotiation model.
1.2.3.10 How can I invite a group of people from a supplier?

Ask the supplier (or a supplier contact) to create a group email list that includes all
the individuals who should receive the negotiation notifications. Once the supplier
has provided you the email address, you can enter the address in the Additional
Contact Email field during negotiation creation.
1.2.3.11 Can I invite additional suppliers to subsequent rounds of an RFQ?

Yes. When creating additional rounds for an RFQ, you can invite additional
suppliers by using the same process employed during the initial RFQ creation.
You can invite suppliers by selecting them from the supplier master list. An
automatic invitation will be sent to each invited supplier.
See How do I invite suppliers to my RFQ or auction? for details on
identifying contacts.
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1.2.3.12 In a sealed RFQ, can I see who is bidding?

In a sealed RFQ, you can see how many quotes are being placed; however, you
cannot see either the name of the respondent or the details of the bid until you
unlock the RFQ.
1.2.3.13 Why can't I see the graphical monitor in a sealed RFQ?

While an RFQ is sealed, none of the details are available for viewing by any
suppliers. Once the buyer has unlocked and unsealed the quotes, you can use the
Graphical Monitor to view quotes.
1.2.3.14 Can I close my RFQ earlier than the original close time?
If you select the Early Close option when specifying quote controls, you can
manually close your RFQ earlier than the original close date/time.
1.2.3.15 How do I start another round of quoting in an RFQ?

Once an RFQ has been closed, you can start another round of quoting.
1. Use the negotiation number in the Search Negotiations fields on the
Negotiations Home page to access the negotiation.
2. On the Negotiations Summary page, select Close Early from the Action
menu to close the RFQ.
3. Select Start New Round from the Action Menu.
On the Start New Round page, you can modify the following:
Title
Style
Ranking method
Rank indicator
Preview Date/Time
Open Date/Time
Close Date/Time
Award Date/Time
Collaboration team information
Item information
Invitation List
Notes and attachments
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1.2.3.16 Can I modify an initial RFQ for the next round?

You can modify the following information for each round of an RFQ:
Preview date/time
Open date/time
Close date/time
Award date/time
Need by date
List of invited suppliers
Attachments
1.2.4 Getting Started with Auctions

Getting Started with Auctions
Auctions offer complete, flexible auction capabilities to buyers so they can
efficiently obtain the best possible price for goods and services. Prices are
established based on actual supply and demand at the time the auction is transacted.
Auctions allow real-time interaction to drive dynamic prices based on information
that extends beyond price to include lead times, quantity and item-specific attributes.
Because most auctions are open for short periods of time, the bidding process moves
quickly which results in increased competition.
Auctions last for a set period of time, typically a matter of a few days,
although the close time can be extended manually or automatically based on
last minute bids.
Auctions enable buyers to solicit bids for goods and services that are clearly
defined, such as office furniture or memory chips.
Auctions are typically focused on creating competition between bidders.
Negotiations allows buyers to establish either public or private auctions to
meet the specific needs of buyers.
Steps in the auction process include:

1. Creating the auction (See Section 2.1.1.1 “How do I create a new
negotiation”).The buyer defines the auction and includes all the
auction item information, the business terms and conditions and
intended bidders.
2. Responding to the auction (See Section 5.1.3 “How do I respond to a
negotiation”). Bidders participate in the auction by viewing the
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auction items and submitting bids online. If permitted by the auction

rules, bidders can view competitive bids during the auction.
3. Monitoring the bid responses (See Section 2.4.2 “How do I monitor
the negotiations I have created”).The buyer and all other participants
can monitor the real-time activity during the auction and take action
as necessary.
4. Evaluating and awarding bids (See Section 2.5.4 “How do I award
business in an RFQ or auction”). The buyer analyzes the bids and
awards the auction based on the price, bid quantity, bid attribute
value(s). Once the auction is completed, bidders are immediately
notified of the auction results via online notifications.
Auction features include:

Auction templates (See Section 2.1.2.3 “How do I create and edit negotiation
templates”).
Reusable attribute lists (See Appendix 7.2.1 “How do I create an attribute
list”).
Reusable invitation lists (See Section 2.1.2.4 “How do I create and edit a
reusable invitation list”).
Price elements (See Section 2.1.3.5 “How do I use price elements”).
Price breaks (See Section 2.1.3.7 “What are price breaks, and how do I use
them”).
Autoextend feature (See Section 2.1.1.11 “What are response controls”).
Manual extend (See Section 2.4.11 “How do I extend a negotiation that is in
progress”) and early close features (See Section 2.4.15 “How do I close a
negotiation before its scheduled close date and time”).
Multiple Auction styles: open, blind or sealed (See Section 6.2 “Glossary”).
Minimum Bid Decrement/Increment (See Section 2.1.1.11 “What are
response controls”).
Sourcing Events (See Appendix 7.6 “Why are some RFQs and auctions
associated with a sourcing event”).
Proxy bidding (See Section 5.1.10 “What is proxy bidding and how does it
work”).
Power bidding (See Section 5.1.12 “What is power bid”).
Attribute based bidding (See Section 5.1.8 “How do I use item attributes and
price elements when responding to a negotiation”).
Capture Total Cost (See Appendix 7.7 “What are reusable price elements and
how do I create them”).
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Canceling auctions (See Section 2.4.16 “How do I cancel a negotiation”) and

Disqualifying bid (2.5.9 “How do I disqualify responses I receive for an RFI,
RFQ, or auction”).
Monitoring bid activity (See Section 2.4.2 “How do I monitor the
negotiations I have created”).
Purchase order generation
Real-time status updates
Bidding online (See Section 5.1.6 “How do I submit a response online”) and
offline (spreadsheet bidding), (5.1.13 “How do I download a spreadsheet and
respond offline”).
Bid comparison (See Section 2.4.5 “How do I use the Graphic Monitor to
compare competing quotes or bids for a particular negotiation line”).
Graphic Auction Monitor (See Appendix 7.5 “How do I use the Graphical
Monitor to view responses to items in my negotiation”)
Notes and attachments (See Section 6.2 “Glossary”).
Integration with Oracle Purchasing (See Section 2.1.1.4 “How does Oracle
Sourcing use information in Oracle Purchasing when AutoCreating draft
sourcing documents”).
Online or offline awarding capability (spreadsheet awarding), (See Section
2.5.4 “How do I award business in an RFQ or auction”).
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1.2.5 Frequently Asked Questions: Auctions
1.2.5.1 What are the different auction styles?

The buyer can choose from three types of auctions:
Open: everyone can see the bid content, but only the buyer can see the
identity of the bidder.
Blind: Only the buyer can see the bid content
Sealed: Neither the buyer nor the suppliers can see the bid content until the
auction closes. The buyer can see the bids once the auction is unlocked.
Everyone can see the bid content once the auction is unsealed.
1.2.5.2 What is the difference between Quote/Bid start price and target price?
When creating a new RFQ or auction, you can optionally set a bid start price (quote
start price for an RFQ) and target price for every item in the RFQ or auction. The
start price is the maximum price in a RFQ or auction at which bidding (or quoting)
for one unit of the the item will start. The target price is the price you hope to pay for
one unit of an item. You can elect to display the target price to participants.
1.2.5.3 Why isn't there a target price for every item?

Target price is an optional value. Buyers are not required to designate a target price
for every item.
1.2.5.4 What is the target price used for?

The target price is mainly used for internal performance analysis for the buyer. The
buyer can also choose to display the target price to the bidders for reference.
1.2.5.5 Can someone in my company award an auction that I create?

If granted the appropriate authorization, someone else at your company can award
an auction created by you.
1.2.5.6 Can two people from the same company bid on the same auction?
Yes. All registered users in a company can bid on the same auction, provided that:
1. The auction to which they are responding is not owned by their company
2. The bid controls for this auction allow multiple bids per round , and
3. They have the appropriate function security (See Section 6.1.4 “Why can't I
access some pages, links, buttons, or task bar options”).
Note: Two people from the same cannot quote in the same RFQ.
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1.2.5.7 When two respondents from the same company place bids, can they view
each other's bid details?
Depending on the auction style, the bidders will be able to see different information
as shown below:
Auction Style Other Bidder's Viewable Information
Company Name
Time of bid
Open Bid details
Any Notes and Attachments (if notes and attachments are
viewable for auction)
Company Name
Blind
Time of bid
Company Name
Sealed/Locked
Time of bid
Company Name
Sealed/Unlocked Time of bid
or Bid details
Sealed/Unsealed Any Notes and Attachments (if notes and attachments are
viewable for auction)
1.2.5.8 If my RFQ/auction is open to all suppliers, why would I invite suppliers to

participate?
For a public RFQ/auction, you are not required to send invitations to any suppliers.
However, you might want to send invitations to increase specific suppliers'
awareness of your RFQ/auction and encourage participation.
When you invite a supplier (See Section 2.1.1.13 “How do I invite suppliers to
participate in my negotiation”) to participate, that supplier receives an e-mail
notification about your RFQ/auction, and your RFQ/auction appears in that
supplier's "Open Invitations" list of invitations.
1.2.5.9 How do I initiate a new round of quoting or bidding?

After your RFI, RFQ, or auction has closed, you can initiate a new round of
responding if you set the controls to allow multiple rounds of responses (RFQs
always permit multiple rounds of quoting).
After you initiate a new round of responding, none of the previous responses
submitted are available for awarding.
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To initiate a new round of responding:

You can only initiate a new round of responding after the current round has closed.
You must either wait until the negotiation reaches its close date and time, or you
must manually close it early.
After the RFI, RFQ, or auction has closed, you can initiate a new round of
responding from the negotiations summary page:
1. On the Negotiations Home page, select a negotiation by clicking its Number
link under the Your Negotiations at a Glance section. If the negotiation
you're looking for is not displayed under Your Negotiations at a Glance,
click the Full List button to see a display of all your published negotiations.
You can also enter search values in the Search Negotiations fields to search
for a negotiation. From the Results: Negotiations display, click the Number
link for the negotiation you wish to see.
2. .Select Start New Round from the Actions menu and click Go.
3. On the Create New Round: Header page, update your negotiation's header
details as appropriate (*indicates a field that must be entered prior to the new
responding round).
Possible Description Modifications
*Title/Style
You can give your negotiation a new name and change
the negotiation style.
Security Level
You can change the level of security on the
negotiation .
Possible Collaboration Team Changes
You can change the makeup of the collaboration team
working on this negotiation. You can add new
members and/or delete existing members. You can
update members' approval status, view only status, and
task assignments.
Possible Terms Changes
You can change the Bill-To, Ship-To, FOB, Payment
Terms, Carrier, and Freight Terms.
Possible Negotiation Currency Changes
If this is a multi-currency negotiation, and you
originally chose to Base Exchange rates on a set of
company exchange rates for a particular date, you can
change the date to reflect more current rates.
Notes and Attachments
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You can change any leader level existing notes and/or

attachments
4. Click Lines to modify information about your negotiation lines on the Lines:
Create Line page. When you are finished making line changes, click Apply
to return to the Create New Round page. You can make the following line
changes:
Response Ranking
You can choose to have the response evaluation based solely
on price, or you can also identify other important attributes for
your negotiation items and define weighting values to indicate
their relative importance. The system can then include that
information when calculating the quote/bid value.
Rank Indicator
You can change the type of display used to show response
rankings. For example, you might have turned the ranking off
during your previous round because you only wanted to
gather information about potential trading partners but did not
wish to rank them yet. Beginning with subsequent rounds,
however, you might wish to start the actual ranking process.
Line Changes
You can modify the lines included in the negotiation.
You can delete old lines, modify attributes of existing
lines, or add new lines (note that suppliers will have to
enter responses to any new or updated lines). Note,
however, that if this is a multi-currency negotiation,
you cannot add amount-based lines. You can also use
the spreadsheet upload functionality to update
negotiation lines.
If you are implementing Multi-Attribute Weighted
Scoring for this round of negotiation, you will need to
define scoring and weighting information for the
appropriate attributes. If you used Multi-Attribute
Weighted Scoring in previous rounds, the scoring and
weighting information from the last round is carried
over to the new round. But if you add any new lines to
the new round, you may need to define new scoring
and weighting values for that line's attributes.
If you defined price breaks for the previous round of
this negotiation, you can modify the price break
definitions.
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5. Click Controls to modify negotiation control information.

o Possible Date Modifications
*Open Date
Date and time you want the new round of responding to
begin. You can also choose to open the negotiation
immediately.
Preview Date
For RFIs, RFQs or auctions opening in the future, you can
enter the date and time (prior to the open date and time) the
negotiation is available for previewing by all eligible
participants. You can also choose to open the negotiation for
preview immediately.
*Close Date
The new date and time the RFI, RFQ, or auction closes.
Note that you have to specify a new closing date.
Award Date (RFQs and auctions only)
You can choose to enter a new award date/time if this differs
from the timing in the previous round of negotiation.
o Response Controls
Modify other Response Controls as necessary.
6. Click Suppliers to modify your invitation list.
o Possible Invitation List Changes
If you invited suppliers in the previous round, they are
automatically added to the invitation list for the new round.
Additionally, any uninvited suppliers who responded in the
previous round are also automatically added to the invitation
list for the new round. You can remove any supplier from the
invitation list for the new round.
You can also add new suppliers.
7. Click Review. Review your updated negotiation information. If there are
approvers defined for this document, click Submit for Approval. If there are
no approvers defined for this document, click Publish.
1.2.5.10 Why is the "Can bidders see other bidders notes and attachments?" bid
control not available for blind auctions?
Blind auctions by definition do not allow bidders to view other suppliers' bids.
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1.2.5.11 Can a bidder retract a bid?

If a bidder has submitted, the bidder can contact the buyer and ask to have the bid
disqualified. Bid disqualification, however, is up to the discretion of the buyer.
1.2.5.12 Why can't I always view scores and weights set up by the buyer?
The buyer can optionally hide scores and weights from the bidder. When the buyer
hides scores/weights, the bidder can only view the resulting Price to Total Score for
a bid.
1.2.5.13 Why are display-only attributes not visible in the Bid Compare page?
Display only attributes are used to convey information to bidders. Bidders cannot
respond to display only attributes so there is no value for comparison.
1.2.5.14 How can I extend an auction beyond the close date/time?

You have two ways of closing an auction before its originally specified time by
selecting either the Manual Extend and/or AutoExtend bid controls when creating
the auction.
Manual Extend allows you to manually extend your auction close date/time
before the auction closes.
AutoExtend extends the duration automatically if new bids are received in
the closing minutes of the auction.
You can specify whether the auction is extended from the original close time or from
the time when the winning bid has been received. You can also define the total
number of auto extensions and the extension period. You can also specify if the
autoextend is for the entire auction or particular line items.
1.2.5.15 How do two bids with the same score get ranked if the prices are the same?
The earliest bid gets a higher rank. For example, if Bidder B bids triggering a proxy
bid for Bidder A and the resulting bid results in the same Price to Total Score ration,
Bidder B receives the higher rank because the proxy bid was created by the system
after Bidder B's bid.
1.2.5.16 What is a Single Best Bid?

A Single Best Bid is a response to an auction that allows only one bid per company.
The response is at the company level, that is, once one user at a company responds,
no other user at the same company can bid. When the bid control "No - A bidder
must submit a single, best bid" is selected for a multi-round auction, a company can
place one bid in each round when being invited to that round
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1.2.5.17 What is the difference between Proxy and Power Bidding?
Proxy Bid
You can define price parameters that allow the system to automatically rebid on
your behalf. You can setup the Proxy Bid Decrement for an auction, as well as the
limit price, or Proxy Bid Minimum, for each item. When the bid reaches the Proxy
Bid Minimum, the bidding automatically stops. Once you have placed a proxy bid,
you cannot change any bid information (including responses to item attributes) until
the Proxy Bid Minimum is reached unless you cancel the proxy. Therefore if you are
bidding in a Multi-Attribute Weighted Scoring auction, you cannot update attribute
responses to better your score although proxy bid will rebid to better a price. Once
the limit price is reached, you can set new Proxy bid parameters or bid manually.
Proxy bidding is not available for any auction item that has price elements.
Power Bid
When rebidding, you can revise bids for all items on which you have previously bid
by a specified percentage. This allows you to streamline the rebidding process when
you have bid on several items in the same auction. When you use Power Bid, all of
the bids in an auction will be decreased by the percentage specified. This is a very
useful feature when your goal is to win all auction items, or near the end of an
auction period when there may be a time constraint, and the bids must be submitted
quickly. Power bid is not available for any auction items having price elements.
Comment Proxy Bid Power Bid
Repeated automatic
bidding. The system Speeds up the bidding process
Feature Use rebids until proxy is by simultaneously updating the
canceled or minimum bid prices for all bid items.
value is reached
Automatically updated Yes No
Unit of update Currency value Percentage
Multiple times until

Number of updates per
canceled or the minimum Once
setup
price is reached
Not available for items Not available in auctions

Affect of price elements
with price elements containing price elements
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1.2.5.18 How does Proxy Bidding work in Multi-Attribute Weighted Scoring

auctions?
You can define Proxy Bid parameters with Multi-Attribute Weighted Scoring
auctions similar to price-only auctions. However, since proxy bids are generated
based only on the price of the competing bid, a bid can be beaten based on the Price
to Total Score ratio without triggering a new proxy bid.
For example, Supplier A places a bid of USD 95.00 with a score of 90 for the item, a
proxy bid decrement of USD10.00 and a proxy minimum of USD 75.00.
Supplier B then bids USD 94.00 with a score of 100 for the same item. This bid
(94/100) is better than Supplier A's bid (95/90). Since Supplier B's bid price is less
than Supplier A's bid price, Supplier A's proxy is triggered to place a new bid of
USD 84.00. This bid (84/90) is now the winning bid.
Supplier B then places another bid of USD 92.00. Now Supplier B's bid (92/100) is
better than Supplier A's bid (84/90), but since Supplier B's bid price is still higher
than Supplier A's bid price, Supplier A's proxy is not triggered. Therefore, Supplier
B's bid is the winning bid even though the bid price is higher. Supplier A's proxy
will only be triggered again if there is a bid with a price lower then USD 84.00. And
since Supplier A's proxy minimum (75.00) has not yet been reached, he cannot
modify any attribute responses to try to improve his score.
To avoid these situations, you may need to closely monitor Multi-Attribute
Weighted Scoring auctions which also use proxy bidding. You may need to cancel
the proxy bidding process to redefine attribute information to improve your price to
total score ration, not just the bid price.
1.2.5.19 Can a bidder see the names of the other bidders?

Bidders cannot see other bidders' identities. Supplier identities are never revealed to
other bidders.
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2. Help for Sourcing Buyers
2.1 Creating Negotiations
2.1.1 Creating RFIs, RFQs, and Buyer's Auctions
2.1.1.1 How do I create a new negotiation?

Use the instructions on this page to create Sourcing negotiations (RFIs, RFQs, and
buyer's auctions).
There are four main steps to creating a new negotiation:
o Create Your Negotiation Header (See section 2.1.1.6 “What
information must I provide to create my negotiation header”).
o Enter Negotiation Lines (See Section 2.1.1.9 “How do I add lines to a
negotiation”).
o Define Your Response Controls (See Section 2.1.1.11 “What are
response controls”)
o Enter Your Terms and Conditions (If Oracle Procurement Contracts
is bought and licensed) (See Section 2.1.4.7 “What are contract terms
and conditions, and how do I use them in my negotiation”)
o Invite Your Suppliers (See Section 2.1.1.13 “How do I invite
suppliers to participate in my negotiation”).
If you have previously created an RFI, RFQ, or auction, you can save time by
copying an existing RFI/RFQ/Auction. You can also create new negotiations quickly
by applying a negotiation template. You can create a negotiation and save it as a
draft before submitting it. This allows you to return to the creation process at a later
time or have multiple people working on the same negotiation.
2.1.1.2 How do I create a new Request for Information (RFI)?

RFI's are used to qualify suppliers and their goods and services for subsequent
procurement activities. RFIs are used more for gathering information on goods and
service provided by a supplier than to lock in particular price information. Therefore,
one unique feature of an RFI is that buyers can choose to define negotiation line
items without price and quantity and specify lists of criteria to which suppliers must
respond. RFIs can be taken to multiple rounds until the buyer has enough
information to identify supplier(s) with which to deal. At the conclusion of the RFI
cycle, the information contained in the RFI can be copied into an RFQ or buyer's
auction.
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Creating an RFI
In general, you use the same process to create an RFI that you use to create a buyer's
auction or RFQ.
Describe the RFI.
Add line information to the RFI
Specify response controls.
Invite suppliers (possibly optional)
Specifying Criteria for Negotiation

You use line attributes to identify the criteria on which you wish to obtain
information from the suppliers who respond to your RFI. For example, assume
you're intending to acquire a purchasing application for use within your buying
organization. A couple of the product criteria you might be interested in are:
the level of product support a supplier can provide.
the specific platforms the product can run on.
When you are defining your negotiation line (purchasing application software), you
could add two required line attributes called Support and Platforms. Suppliers would
then have to repsond to these line attributes by describing the level of support they
can offer and identifying on which platforms their product runs. Note that at this
point, you are not concerned yet with negotiating the price, only identifying the most
appropriate suppliers. Since you use the attribute fields to specify detailed item
information you are interested in, be aware of the following size limits:
Attribute name: 240 characters
Target value: 4000 characters
Response: 4000 characters
Taking an RFI to a subsequent round of responding.

If you defined the response control to allow multiple rounds of responding, you may
wish to perform several rounds responding before you feel you have gathered
enough information to complete the RFI.
1. To take an RFI to a new round, you must first close it. Once closed, you can
return to the negotiation summary page.
2. On the negotiation summary page, select Start New Round from the Actions
menu.
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3. On the Start New Round page, you can modify many of the attributes of the
RFI:
o RFI Description information - you can change the RFI Title and/or
style.
o RFI Timing information - you can change the open, preview or close
dates
o Collaboration team members.

o RFI Item information - you can edit or delete existing items, and add
new items.
o Invitee Information - you can invite new suppliers to participate or
delete previous invitees.
4. When you have completed entering any new RFI information, click Continue.
5. On the Review and Submit page, check the information, and if correct, click
Publish (if the document has approvers defined to the collaboration team,
click Submit for Approval).
6. The confirmation page displays information on the new RFI version.
Converting an RFI to an RFQ/Auction

Once you have identified the suppliers with whom you wish to negotiate, you can
close the RFI and use the information you've gathered to create an RFQ or auction
document. There is no limit to the number of negotiations you can create from a
single RFI.
To convert the RFI into an RFQ/Auction:

1. Close the RFI
2. Return to the negotiation summary page.
3. From the Actions menu, select Copy to RFQ or Copy to auction and click Go.
You are returned to Create Header RFQ/Auction page in the creation
process. All line and supplier information are copied into the new draft
RFQ/auction: the RFI number appears at the negotiation header level, and the
RFI number/RFI line appear at the line level. You can modify these values if
you choose.
4. You can continue through the creation process and publish the document for
negotiation.
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2.1.1.3 How do I use Quick Links?

The Quick Links section of the Negotiations Home page provides easy, one-step
access to your most commonly performed Oracle Sourcing tasks. The links are
organized by task and negotiation type so you can find the link for the task you wish
to perform. Simply clicking the link takes you to the page where you initiate the
operation.
The table below shows some of the operations available Sourcing Buyers and
Sourcing Suppliers by using Quick Links.
Buyer Operations Supplier Operations
Creating negotiations Responding to negotiations
Creating templates and reusable lists Monitoring active responses
Managing draft negotiations Managing draft responses
Creating and managing sourcing events Viewing award decisions
Updating profile information Updating profile information
2.1.1.4 How does Oracle Sourcing use information in Oracle Purchasing when
AutoCreating draft sourcing documents?
If your Oracle Sourcing system is integrated with Oracle Purchasing, you can use
requisition information in Oracle Purchasing to create a draft sourcing document that
you can then access and edit. The backing requisition information is carried over
from Oracle Purchasing and used throughout the creation process. Requisition
information in Oracle Purchasing can come from any of several locations such as:
Oracle iProcurement
Oracle Purchasing
Using AutoCreate
AutoCreate allows you to select requisitions stored in Oracle Purchasing to create a
Buyer's Auction or Sourcing RFQ. When using AutoCreate, you can search for
requisitions according to different attributes such as item or category and include
them in a single document. Once you have identified the requisitions in which you
are interested, AutoCreate uses the requisition information to create a Buyer's
Auction or Sourcing RFQ. The AutoCreated document is assigned a document
number. You can use this number to access the document in Oracle Sourcing and to
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view the document from Oracle Purchasing or iProcurement. Once the new
document is created, the requisitions are no longer available for use by AutoCreate.
Grouping lines
When creating your document in AutoCreate you can choose to consolidate multiple
requisition lines if they refer to similar items. This grouping information is used
when creating negotiation lines for the sourcing document. There are two possible
grouping types: Default and Requisition lines.
Default: Multiple requisition lines are grouped together if they have the same
attributes such as
o Item category
o Item number
o Item revision
o Item description
o UOM
o Ship-To address
o Line type
Requisition lines: No grouping is performed. A negotiation line is created for
each requisition line.
Backing information.
AutoCreate carries over the following backing requisition information when creating
the sourcing document. Depending on the line type, you can modify some of this
information.
Backing
If amount based line
requisition If quantity based line type
type
information
Operating
Display only Display only
unit
Functional
currency
Line type Display only Display only
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Item number Display only Display only
Item revision Display only Display only
Item
description
Category
name
Unit of
measure
Modifiable. If multiple requisitions have

Quantity Always has a value of 1 been grouped, the quantity is the sum of
the individual requisition quantities.
Ship-to
address
Line level
Modifiable Modifiable
attachments
Modifiable. If there is a
single date, it becomes
Modifiable. If there is a single date, it
the Need-By date. If
becomes the Need-By date. If there is a
Need-By there is a range of dates,
range of dates, the earliest becomes the
Date the earliest becomes the
Need-By From date and the latest becomes
Need-By From date and
the Need-By To date.
the latest becomes the
Need-By To date.
Modifiable. If multiple
requisitions have been Modifiable. If multiple requisitions have
Bid Start
grouped, the lowest price been grouped, the lowest price becomes
Price
becomes the Bid Start the Bid Start Price
Price.
Accessing the draft RFQ/Auction

The draft document is owned by the user who first accesses it. If you have the
Sourcing Super User responsibility, you can always access and edit draft sourcing
documents. Otherwise, there are two ways you can access the draft document, and
the authorizations you need differ depending on which access you use.
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Your system administrator can set up the system so once you have completed
the document in AutoCreate, you are automatically transferred to Oracle
Sourcing. To access a draft directly from Oracle Purchasing, you must have
the Edit Draft Sourcing Document function to access a draft.
Otherwise, if you know the number Autocreate assigned to the draft
document, you can access it directly from Oracle Sourcing. You must have
the Manage Draft Sourcing Documents function to access and edit the draft.
Editing the draft

The first time you access the draft, you must complete Step 1: Describe Your
RFQ/Auction.
In general, you can edit your draft as you would any other draft except for the non-
modifiable information taken from the backing requisitions (see table above). You
can apply a template to the draft RFQ/Auction (backing requisition information
takes precedence over any template attributes).
You can add additional item lines if necessary. If you delete any of the lines
originating from AutoCreate or delete the RFQ/Auction, the backing requisitions are
returned to the requisition pool and become available for use.
Using the AutoCreated RFQ/Auction

In general you use an AutoCreated RFQ/Auction the same way as other
RFQs/auctions. Note, however, the following points:
If you take the RFQ/Auction to multiple rounds of bidding/responding, the
backing requisition information is updated to point to the new RFQ/Auction.
If you cancel an RFQ/Auction with line items originating from AutoCreate,
the backing requisitions are returned to the requisition pool. Also, if you only
partially award a line item quantity, the backing requisition(s) is returned to
the requisition pool.
Once you have completed awarding the RFQ/Auction, Oracle Sourcing
creates either a standard purchase order or a blanket purchase agreement and
sends them back to Oracle Purchasing along with references to the
originating requisition.
2.1.1.5 How do I edit a negotiation document Autocreated in Oracle Purchasing?

You can use the AutoCreate feature in Oracle Purchasing to search for and group
existing requisitions to create a negotiation document (RFQ or auction) which can
then be edited and processed through Oracle Sourcing. Once the negotiation
document has been created by AutoCreate, it exists as a draft negotiation within
Oracle Sourcing.
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Accessing the draft document

If your Oracle Purchasing application is set up to allow it, you can be transferred
directly from AutoCreate to Step 1 in the negotiation creation process in Oracle
Sourcing. Otherwise, you can use the "Manage" link under the Drafts area of Quick
Links on the Negotiations Home page to access the draft negotiation. Once you
have accessed the draft negotiation, continue editing it using the instructions in How
do I create a new negotiation? beginning with Step 2: Enter Item Terms.
Note the following about negotiations created by AutoCreate:
Any backing requisition information is not updateable in Oracle Sourcing.
The backing requisition information is viewable during the creation/editing
process.
2.1.1.6 What information must I provide to create my negotiation header?

When you create a new negotiation, your first step is to create your negotiation
header. This header contains negotiation level information related to the entire
negotiation.
To create your negotiation header:

Complete the following fields (*indicates a required field):
*Title
The name by which this RFI, RFQ, or auction will be known. You must
specify a title for your negotiation and once defined, the title cannot be
changed.
Style
Event
Security Level
You can select a security level to restrict access to the sourcing document.
Buyer
The creator of the negotiation.
Organization
The operating unit, such as a division or department, to which this
negotiation applies. The organization you select here determines the values
for many later attributes (such as the negotiation currency and shipping
addresses). If this negotiation document was originally created in Oracle
Purchasing, the backing requisition information is carried forward and this
field cannot be updated. Note that if you have entered information on this
page, for example in the Payment Terms field, and you change the
Organization, the page refreshes and you will lose the information you
entered. Once you proceed to the next step, this value cannot be changed.
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Outcome (auction, RFQ only)

Designate your RFQ or auction outcome as either a standard purchase order
or a blanket purchase agreement .This cannot be changed once you proceed
to the next step.
Collaboration Team
You can identify a group of users from within your company who will
collaborate on this negotiation. For each member, you can choose to:
o Make the member an approver of the sourcing document.
o Give the member view-only access to the document. View-only
members can view the document but cannot update any information.
o Define a particular task for that member to perform, and a target date
by which the task should be completed. The team member marks the
task as complete once it is finished.
See How do collaboration teams work? for information on the document

approval process. See "How do security levels work?" for information on the
interaction between security levels and a collaboration team.
Terms
o Global Agreement (Blanket Purchase Agreement only)
o Effective Start/Effective End Date (Blanket Purchase Agreement
only)
Use the pop-up calendar to identify the start and end dates of the
agreement.
o Bill-To Address
Address to which your RFQ/Auction bills should be sent. Click the
flashlight icon to browser for other addresses. You can select any of
the addresses defined for your operating unit in Oracle Human
Resources. The default address is defined in Oracle Purchasing.
o Ship-To Address
Address to which the RFQ/Auction items will be shipped. Click the
flashlight icon to browse for other addresses. The possible values for
your operating unit are defined in Oracle Human Resources. The
default address is set in Oracle Purchasing.
o FOB
The FOB terms for your supplier. The possible values and the default
are defined in Oracle Purchasing.
o Total Agreement Amount (Blanket Purchase Agreement only)
The amount the buyer agrees to spend with the supplier over the
course of the agreement.
o Minimum Release Amount (Blanket Purchase Agreement only)
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o Payment Terms
The payment terms for your suppliers. The possible values are
defined in Oracle Payables. The default is set in Oracle Purchasing.
o Carrier
The freight carrier your supplier should use. The possible values for
your operating unit are defined in Oracle Inventory. The default is set
in Oracle Purchasing
o Freight Terms
The freight terms for your supplier. The possible values and the
default are defined in Oracle Purchasing.
Currency
Shows the default currency for the negotiation. This is the buyer's default
currency. Click Manage Response Currencies to allow responses in more
than one currency. See Can I accept responses in multiple currencies? for
instructions on allowing additional currencies.
o Price Precision
The number of decimal places allowed for per-unit prices entered in
the RFx/Auction currency. The precision you set doesn't apply to per-
unit prices entered in a currency other than the RFx/Auction currency,
nor does it apply to currency amounts such as Bid Total or the bid
value of Fixed-Amount price elements. While you can set the
precision for unit-prices entered in a non-RFx/Auction currency when
you define your currency list, the precision for amounts is
automatically governed by the standards defined by the ISO
(International Organization for Standardization). The ISO standards
are used automatically by Sourcing.
Attributes
You can define negotiation header attributes to request information from
suppliers at the negotiation level. Examples might include a supplier's years
in business, ownership, or personnel qualification. You can also use header
attributes to enter information about a supplier or response that is not
available to the supplier, for example, customer service or on-time
percentage. Header attributes can be weighted and scored and used when
subjectively scoring the supplier. During award time, you inspect the
supplier's response and manually enter a value that you think reflects the
acceptability of the supplier's response.
See "How do I score header attributes?" for instructions on subjective
scoring of attributes. See "What are score settings and how do I use them in
header attributes?" for information on defining score settings.
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To create a header attribute, enter the following fields:

Attribute
The name of the attribute
Group
Groups are used to categorize attributes. If no group is chosen, the attribute is
assigned to the default group. The default group is set by the Sourcing Super
User.
Attribute Type
Attribute Type describes how the attribute is used within the negotiation. Values can
be:
o Display Only
The attribute is displayed to the supplier, but the supplier cannot enter
a response to it. If the attribute type is display-only, Display Target is
set to Yes and Maximum Score is automatically set to zero. Display
only attributes merely notify suppliers of additional aspects in which
buyers are interested.
o Internal
Internal attributes can only be seen by buyers. If an internal attribute
is weighted, the total weight value seen by the supplier will not add
up to 100. For example, if an attribute is internal and has a weight of
10, the supplier sees no information on the internal attribute and sees
the sum of all weighted attributes as 90. If unweighted, new internal
attributes can be added while the negotiation is in progress. If
weighted, new internal attributes can be added if they are given a
weight of zero or if their weight amount is subtracted from another
internal attribute. Internal attributes have Display Target set to No.
o Optional
Suppliers do not have to respond to this attribute..
o Required
Suppliers must respond to this attribute.
Value Type
Select the type of characters suppliers can enter for this attribute when responding:
Text (letters/words, digits), Number (digits with decimals allowed), Date (numbers
in date format), or URL (using the format http://www.oracle.com). The value type
also governs the characters you can enter in the RFQ/Auction Value field.
Note: Text is the most flexible value type. If you select Text, suppliers can enter
letters as well as digits. If you select Number, participants can only enter digits; if
you select Date, suppliers can only enter digits in date format.
Target Value
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Enter a target value for the header attribute (for example: 30 or more years in
business).
Display Target
Indicate whether you want suppliers to see your Target Value .
Weight
Weights are used to indicate the relative importance of header attributes. For
example, an attribute with a weight of 25 is half as important as an attribute with a
weight of 50. The sum of weights for all header attributes must add up to 100. If one
attribute is weighted, all must be weighted (although the weight can be 0, effectively
"unweighting" that attribute. This column is only displayed if weights are enabled as
part of the Scoring Settings.
Maximum Score
Accept the default or enter the maximum value that can be entered for this attribute.
There is a system default defined by the Sourcing Super User, but this can be
overridden by specifying a default value on the score settings page.
Delete
You can delete this attribute by clicking the trash can icon.
o Note to Suppliers
You can add a note to the supplier by entering it in the text box. This
note appears on the negotiation summary page and can be viewed by
suppliers.
o Attachment
Click Add Attachment to browse for an attachment to assign to this
negotiation.
2.1.1.7 Can I accept responses in multiple currencies?

When you create a new negotiation, the negotiation currency defaults to the
functional currency defined for your operating unit. However, you can accept
responses in currencies other than the negotiation currency. Whenever you view the
responses you have received, the system will automatically convert the responses to
the negotiation currency.
Though suppliers in a multi-currency negotiation can submit responses in several
currencies, they are allowed to respond in only one currency per response.
To define your currency list and currency exchange rates:
1. On the Create Header page, click Manage Response Currencies.
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2. On the Header: Manage Response Currencies page, select the exchange

rate type. The system may contain several different exchange rate types.
Select the appropriate type for your negotiation. You can use predefined
exchange rates (Corporate Exchange Rate) or specify your own exchange rates
(User Specified Rate).
To use predefined exchange rates:
1. Enter the date for which you wish to use this set of
exchange rates.
2. Select the response currency you will accept.
To define your own exchange rates
1. Select the User Specified Rate type. The page
redisplays.
2. Select the response currency. The system's response
currency codes are available from the drop down menu.
The description field explains the code.
3. Define the exchange rate by entering the number of
response currency units that equal one unit of the
negotiation currency. For example, if the negotiation
currency is United States dollars (USD) and the
response currency you're defining is Swedish Kroner
(SEK) the exchange rate might be .09 meaning .09
kroner to one dollar.
3. Specify the price precision for the currency. If the precision for the response
currency is greater than the precision for the negotiation currency, the system
will round when converting responses into the negotiation currency.
4. Select the checkbox to display the exchange rates if you want to allow
respondents to see your response currency exchange rates.
5. If you are finished defining alternate currencies, click Apply. Otherwise click
Add Another Row and continue defining currencies and exchange rates.
6. When you have finished defining currency information, continue creating
your negotiation.
2.1.1.8 How do I restrict a supplier to a particular currency?

If you allow multiple response currencies for your negotiation, you can choose to
restrict specific suppliers to particular response currencies. You assign currencies to
specific suppliers when you invite the suppliers to your negotiation.
To restrict a supplier to a particular currency:

1. After you have selected your suppliers in Step 5, select a response currency
for each supplier.
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o If you accept the default, Any, the supplier can respond in any
currency you have allowed for this negotiation: the negotiation
currency or any other response currency on your currency list.
o If you select a specific response currency for a supplier, the supplier
can only submit a response in either that currency or the negotiation
currency.
o If the response currency you select for a supplier is not on your
currency list, that response currency is available to that supplier alone.
No other suppliers may respond in that currency unless you also
associate that response currency with them.
o Multiple users in a supplier's organization can submit several initial
bids, each in a different currency, to a multi-currency negotiation.
However, if a user submits a rebid, the follow-up bid must be in the
same currency as the initial response.
2. If you selected User Specified Rate in "Step 2: Defining Business Terms and
Conditions," enter an exchange rate for the response currency you selected in
the previous step.
3. Select a price precision for the response currency. The new price precision
applies only to the suppliers to whom you assign it.
4. Continue creating your negotiation.
2.1.1.9 How do I add lines to a negotiation?

When you create a new negotiation, or edit a draft negotiation, you must identify the
goods or services you want to purchase or for which you want quotes. You can enter
lines online or bulk load lines from a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet is useful if you
are adding a large number of lines.
From the navigation bar in the top left corner, click "Lines."
To add lines online:

1. On the Create: Lines page, select how the line will be ranked, how
the ranking will be displayed, and how the line will be added and
click Go. Line ranking is not performed in RFIs.
If you wish to score and weight your lines, select Multi-Attribute
Scoring as the Ranking type.
2. To add a line using the online system, accept the default value of
Online from the Add Line drop down menu. Click Go. Your other
option is to load the line information using spreadsheet upload.
3. On the Lines: Create Line page, provide the following information.
*Indicates a required field :
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Line Type
The available line types are defined in Oracle Purchasing. The
line type determines whether this is a quantity-based line,
such as 50 laser printers, or an amount-based item such as
consulting services. If Oracle Services Procurement is
installed and licensed, you have additional line types such as
rate-based temp labor. If the line type is amount-based, the
unit of measure and quantity default and are display only.
To change the line type, select the line type you want and
click Go. The page refreshes and the fields available for the
line reflect the line type you select.
If a negotiation was created AutoCreated from Oracle
Purchasing, the line type value is carried from the backing
requisition and is display only.
Item, Rev
The number and revision for this item. If this document was
AutoCreated from Oracle Purchasing, these values are carried
from the backing requisition line and are display only.
If you are entering an item in Sourcing, you can enter item
information directly or search for items from the Item Master
by clicking the flashlight icon. On the Search and Select:
Inventory Item page, enter search values for either the item
number or item description and click Go (note that the search
values are case sensitive). From the Results display, click the
link for the item you wish to add to your negotiation. You are
returned to the Enter Item Information page with the item
number and description values displayed. If there are revision
values for the item you selected, you can select the
appropriate value from the Rev pull down menu.
*Description
A text description of the item. If the negotiation was created
from a backing requisition, the description is carried from the
backing requisition and is display only. If the item was
selected from Inventory directly from Sourcing, the
description from Inventory will default.
*Category
Group to which the item belongs. The default category value
is based on line type. Click the flashlight icon to search for a
category. If the negotiation was created from a backing
requisition, the category value is carried from the backing
requisition line item and is display only. If you searched from
Sourcing for an item from the Item Master, the category value
defaults to the category for the item and cannot be updated.
Unit of Measure
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Unit of measure in which you plan to purchase your item. The

system recognizes the UN standardized unit of measure codes.
If you selected an amount based line type above, the default
for this field is set by the Sourcing Super User.
If the negotiation was AutoCreated from a backing requisition,
the unit of measure value is carried from the backing
requisition line item and is display only. If you selected the
item from the Item Master directly in Sourcing, the UOM
values available to you are only those appropriate to the item.
*Quantity (standard purchase order only)
Number of units of the item you want to purchase. If you
selected an amount-based line type above, this field is display
only, defaults to 1, and cannot be scored in a Multi-Attribute
Weighted Scoring RFQ/Auction.
If the negotiation was created from multiple backing
requisitions, this is the total of the backing requisition line
item quantities.
Estimated Quantity (blanket purchase agreements only)
The organization's best estimate of demand for the item over
the life of the blanket agreement. Note that this field is
required for blanket purchase agreements and can be hidden
from suppliers. It cannot be scored.
Minimum Release amount (blanket purchase agreement

only)
The minimum amount for a release against a blanket
agreement. The amount of a release must be equal to or
greater than the minimum.
*Ship-To Address (standard purchase order only)
The default address is the address you selected in Step 2.
Accept the default address or click the flashlight icon to
browse for a different address. If this negotiation was created
from backing requisitions, the ship-to address is display only.
Currency and Price Precision
This is the default functional currency for your operating unit
and the price precision you selected when you created your
negotiation header. You cannot change these values.
Start Price
The price at which responding for one unit of an item must
begin. A start price is not required, but if the buyer specifies
one, all responses must be equal to or below the Start Price.
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If the negotiation was created from backing requisitions, the

start price defaults to the lowest requisition price of all
requisitions for that item. However, if the line type is amount-
based, the start price defaults to the requisition quantity.
Target Price
Price you hope to pay for one unit of your item. Select
"Display to Suppliers" if you want the participants to see your
target price.
Current Price
Price you are currently paying for the item. The current price
is used to calculate negotiation performance used for savings
calculations in the application.
Note: Suppliers are never able to view the current price.
Need-By From/Need-By To (standard purchase order only)
Select the dates necessary to specify when you need to receive
the item. If you supply values for both fields, you specify a
time window (inclusive of the end date). If you leave both
fields blank, there is no time constraint on receiving the item.
A value in Need-By From with no value in Need-By To
indicate the date on or after which you need to receive the
item. A value in Need-By To with no value in Need-By From
indicates the date on or before which you need to receive the
item. You can use the pop-up calendar to pick your dates.
If the negotiation was created from a single backing

requisition, the Need-By From and the Need-By To fields are
set to the requisition need-by date. If the negotiation was
created from multiple backing requisitions, the Need-By From
field defaults to the earliest requisition line's need-by date.
The Need-By To field defaults to the latest requisitions need-
by date.
Item Attributes
Item attributes are used to describe the good or service being
purchased. They identify item characteristics which will
negotiated on in addition to item price. To add item attributes
to your item, click Add Another Row or Add Attribute List. In
a Multi-Attribute Weighted Scoring negotiation, you can
assign weights and scores to attributes.
Price Break (blanket purchase agreements on goods-bases
items only)
Enter price breaks to negotiate a pricing structure with your
supplier based on quantity, location or promise date.
Add Price Elements
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Price elements allow you to capture additional item costs such

as freight or special charges. To add price elements to the line,
click "Add Another Row" below the table and then use the
flashlight to select the price element.
Note and Attachments
An optional text note about this line(for example, details
about item specifications or color preferences).Click Add
Attachments to attach a binary file containing additional
information or a URL where the attachment file is located.
You must add a description of the attachment. You can also
query the Document Catalog for existing documents to attach.
To control access to the attachment, you can declare which
category to which it belongs. Attachments can be assigned the
following definitions:
Viewable by the supplier:
To Supplier (default)
Can be viewed by users in the buying organization and
suppliers responding to the negotiation.
From Supplier (supplier-created attachments)
Can be viewed by buyers and suppliers.
Viewable by users within Oracle Sourcing
To Receiver
Oracle Purchasing displays these attachments to the receiver
in receiving windows.
To Approver
Can be viewed by any approver of the sourcing document.
To Buyer
Purchasing displays these attachments to buyers when
creating purchase orders from requisitions.
Miscellaneous
Can be viewed by internal users who can access the sourcing
document.
Payables
Purchasing displays these attachments during invoice
matching.
Internal to Sourcing
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Information is viewable only within Oracle Sourcing. Any

attachment information is not carried over into Oracle
Purchasing.
4. When you have finished entering your line information, click Apply.
To enter another auction item online, click Go. Follow the preceding
instructions.
To bulk load items from a spreadsheet:

1. Select Load from Spreadsheet from the Add Line drop down and
click Go.
2. On the Lines: Load from Spreadsheet page, click the link to
download a spreadsheet files.
3. On the Load from Spreadsheet: Download Spreadsheet Files page,
you have the choice to download either an Excel or text file. Choose
the appropriate file(s) and click Download.
4. Save the file to a convenient location on your machine.
5. Open the Instructions file (the .htm file) and follow the directions to
complete the template.
6. When you have completed the template, return to the Load from
Spreadsheet page, navigate to the location of your completed
spreadsheet file, and click Import. Follow the directions on the page
to upload your items.
7. When the upload has completed, the items that you have uploaded are
listed on the Add Lines page.
You can edit or delete existing lines by selecting a line and
clicking the appropriate button.
You can still enter additional lines online.
If you created the negotiation using a spreadsheet, any
spreadsheet item category values take precedence over item
category values defined for the negotiation template.
If you used a negotiation template, any item attributes defined
to the template are added to any item attributes defined in the
spreadsheet. If the same item attribute is defined in both
places, the spreadsheet value takes precedence.
You can use a spreadsheet to upload item attributes and price
elements.
See "How do I define services related lines?" for information on defining service-
related line types.
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2.1.1.10 How do I define services related lines?

Services related line types allow you to negotiate on labor contracts. For temporary
labor line types, ensure that you choose Blanket Purchase Agreement as the
negotiation outcome for temporary labor line types. Also, make sure you select the
Global Agreement checkbox. General services fixed-price lines use a negotiation
outcome of standard purchase order.
You can include services-related lines with regular amount-based and goods-based
lines.
To define a temporary labor, rate-based line:

1. From the Add Line menu on the Create Lines page, select Online to
continuing entering your line description online, or click Load from
Spreadsheet to upload a previously completed spreadsheet file containing
all the line information
2. On the Lines: Create Line page, make sure you select a temporary labor,
rate-based line type, and click Go.
3. Search and select a job from the Job menu. The Description, Job Details,
Unit of Measure and Category will default according to the Job you select.
4. Enter values in your price fields if necessary.
5. Create attributes as needed to solicit additional information for this line.
6. Specify how price differentials are to be used within the negotiation (for
example, is a response to the price differential required)
7. Select the price type (for example, vacation), and specify the differential
associated with this price type.
8. If you need to specify price breaks, click Select Price Break Settings and
ensure it is not set to None.
9. Enter your price breaks including Price Differentials, if appropriate.
10. Finally, add notes or attachments to the supplier.
11. Continue defining the remainder of the negotiation.
To define a temporary labor, fixed-price line:

1. Follow steps 1 and 2 above.
fixed-rate line type, and then click Go.
3. Search and select a Job from the Job menu. The Description, Job Details, and
Category will default according to the Job you select.
4. Create attributes as needed to solicit any additional information for this line.
5. Finally, add any notes or attachments to the supplier.
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To define a general services fixed-price line

2. On the Lines: Create Line page, make sure you select a general services,
fixed-price line type, and then click Go.
3. Provide the line with a description and select a Category value.
6. Continue defining your negotiation ,
2.1.1.11 What are response controls?

When you create a new RFI, RFQ, or Buyer's Auction, you set response controls to
determine the negotiation length, participants, responding frequency, open and
closing times and many other variables.
After you have entered the negotiation header, and added line(s), click the
"Controls" link to access the Create Controls page for that negotiation. Complete
the following fields as appropriate for the negotiation type. You must have created
your negotiation header before you can create negotiation controls. Note that for
fields where you enter a date and time, the default time value the system uses is the
time when you entered a value in the field. You can edit the value to change the time
if needed.
Preview Date
Use the pop-up calendar to specify a date/time after which the negotiation
information can be accessed by potential suppliers. They can view the
negotiation's details but cannot place responses.
*Open Date
Use the pop-up calendar to select the date/time after which all eligible
suppliers are allowed to participate in the negotiation or choose to open the
negotiation immediately.
*Close Date
Use the pop-up calendar to select the date/time when the negotiation will
be closed. Once closed, no further responses may be accepted.
If you allow the control manual close/close early, the negotiation can be
closed prior to the defined close date.
If you allow the control manual extend, the time limit for the negotiation
can be extended past the original close date. When you extend a
negotiation you specify the new close date. If the sourcing document you
are working on was AutoCreated using requisitions in Oracle Purchasing,
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the Close Date cannot be later than the Need-By Date on the backing
requisition.
Award Date
Use the pop-up calendar to select the date/ time when you anticipate
announcing the winner of the negotiation. This is displayed to the
respondents.
Restrict to invited suppliers
You can allow all suppliers to respond to the negotiation or you can specify
that participation is by invitation only.
Note: If you specify that participation is by invitation only, you must invite
at least one supplier to participate.
Allow supplier to see other suppliers' contract terms, notes and
attachments
You can specify that suppliers in the negotiation will be allowed to see any
notes and attachments included with other suppliers' quotes or bids, or you
can restrict suppliers from seeing other suppliers' notes and attachments.
Allow supplier to select lines on which to respond
You can allow participants to respond to individual lines(s) in the negotiation,
or specify that they must respond to all lines in the negotiation.
Require full quantity
You can specify that participants must submit responses for the full quantity
specified in the line. Alternatively, participants can submit responses for
partial quantities. If you have weighted and scored the quantity attribute, you
must set this to No.
Allow multiple responses
You can specify that responders must submit a single, best response in the
negotiation, or may submit multiple responses during the negotiation open
period.
Allow multiple rounds of negotiation
You can specify that the negotiation can continue into additional rounds after
the close date, or you can specify that the negotiation will not be allowed to
continue into additional rounds past the close date.
Require award approval

You can choose to require the award decision to be approved before a
purchase order can be generated.
Suppliers are required to lower the line price when submitting a revised
response
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If you have allowed suppliers to submit multiple bids, you can specify that
they must submit rebids that are better than their current bid price by a
specific minimum amount. That is, rebids must decrease by a minimum
amount. You can enter either a straight amount or a percentage by which
bids must improve. Use numbers, for example, "10."
Note: A bid decrement amount will always be applied to a supplier's current
bid price. If you specify your bid decrement amount as a percentage, the
decrement percentage will be calculated based on a supplier's original bid
price, but will be applied to the supplier's current bid price. For example:
Auction #1234; bid decrement = $100

Bidder A's original bid = $1,000
Bidder A's second bid = $900
Bidder A's third bid = $800
Bidder A would not be allowed to submit a fourth bid of $750 (this is less
than the minimum bid decrement of $100)
Auction #2234; bid decrement = 20%

Bidder B's original bid = $1,000
Bidder B's second bid = $800
Bidder B's third bid = $600
Bidder B would not be allowed to submit a fourth bid of $480 (this is less
than the minimum bid decrement of 20%)
Allow manual close before the Close Date
You can choose to allow the negotiation to be closed before the close date.
Otherwise, the negotiation cannot be closed until the close date and time
specified above.
Allow manual extend when the negotiation is open
You can choose to allow a negotiation to be extended. When a negotiation is
extended, you enter a new close date and time.
Allow AutoExtend based on the settings below

You can have your auction automatically extended if a new winning bid is
received during the final minutes of your auction. For example, if you enable
an AutoExtend of 30 minutes, with AutoExtend set to start at the current
scheduled auction close time, and a new winning bid is received in the final
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30 minutes of the auction (the AutoExtend period), your auction will be

automatically extended for 30 minutes past the current scheduled close time.
Note that two other bid controls can affect the "winning bid" that triggers an
AutoExtension:
o Allow supplier to select lines on which to respond?
You can specify that a supplier may bid on any individual item(s) the
supplier chooses. In this case, a winning bid is determined by the unit
bid price for an item. Your auction AutoExtends only if the new unit
bid price for an item is better than the current best unit bid price for
that item.
Alternatively, you can specify that a supplier must bid on all items in
an auction. In this case, a winning bid is determined by the total bid
value (the sum of all of a bidder's bids on the items in the auction).
Your auction AutoExtends only if the new total bid value is better
than the total bid value of all current active bids.
Note: If a bid is on an item with weighted attributes, its bid value is
its price to score ratio not just the bid price. In this case, the price to
score ratio is used to determine the winning bid.
o Decrement
If you selected the Price Only bidding option for your auction, you
can specify that suppliers must submit rebids that are better than their
current bid price by a specific minimum amount (the decrement
amount). In this case, a winning bid must fit both of the following
criteria :
The bid must be the best bid price submitted in the auction,
and
If a rebid, the rebid must be better than the supplier's own
current bid price by the minimum bid decrement amount .
Note: If you selected the option "Allow manual extend when the negotiation
is open," you can revise your AutoExtend settings while the auction is in
progress .
Start Time of Extensions
You can start AutoExtensions at the scheduled close time of the auction or at
the time that a winning bid is received during the AutoExtend period. For
example, if you enable an AutoExtend of 30 minutes and a winning bid is
received in the final 30 minutes of the auction, your auction will
automatically extend for 30 minutes past the scheduled close time of the
auction if you select "Close Date specified above." However, your auction
will be automatically extended for 30 minutes past the time that the winning
bid is received if you select "Receipt time of the triggering winning
response."
Length of Extension
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You must specify the duration (in minutes) of each AutoExtend. This setting
also determines the end-of-auction window (the AutoExtend period) during
which a winning bid triggers an AutoExtension.
For example, if you specify that each AutoExtension is 20 minutes :
o Each AutoExtension will last for 20 minutes after the start time you
specify, and
o The period from 20 minutes prior to the scheduled close of the
auction to the scheduled close of the auction is the AutoExtend period
during which a winning bid will trigger AutoExtend.
Number of Extensions
Select a value from the drop down menu to set the maximum number of
times the auction can be extended.
Lines to AutoExtend
You can extend bidding for all auction items, or only for those items that
receive winning bids during the AutoExtend period. The AutoExtend period
is determined by the length of each AutoExtension (see above).
2.1.1.12 Can I ensure that an award recommendation gets approved before I

generate its purchasing document?
It may be the case that one or more approvers must review and sign off on your
award recommendation before you can generate its associated purchasing document.
This ensures that, once created, the purchasing document will not need to be
changed in the future. You can require the approval of the award recommendation
by clicking the "Require award approval" response control on the Controls page
while creating your negotiation.
Once you have saved your award decisions, a notification is sent to the first approver
in the approval chain requesting that the approver view the decision, which the
approver can accept or reject. If the approver rejects the decision, a notification is
sent to the negotiation creator. If the approver allows the decision, a notification is
sent to the next approver in the approval chain. The approval cycle continues until
all the required approvers have viewed and approved the decision. Once the decision
has been approved, a notification is sent to the creator who can then begin
generating the purchasing document.
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2.1.1.13 How do I invite suppliers to participate in my negotiation?
Participation in RFQs
Participation in RFQs is by invitation only by default, and you must invite at least
one supplier. To invite specific suppliers see Inviting Suppliers below.
However, you can choose to open your RFQ to all suppliers. If you do, you do not
have to explicitly invite any suppliers.
Participation in Auctions
Unless you specified differently on the negotiation Controls page, auctions are open
to all bidders by default. Bidders will see your auction when they search using the
Active Auctions page. Even though the auction is already open to them, you can
choose to also send certain bidders notifications of a particular auction to encourage
their participation. You can select the bidders you wish to notify from a list of
suppliers, or if you frequently invite a certain group of bidders, you can apply a
predefined invitation list that identifies these bidders.
You can restrict your auction to bidders you specifically invite by selecting the
appropriate control on the negotiation Controls page. To invite specific suppliers
see Inviting Suppliers below.
Inviting suppliers
After entering your negotiations description, business terms and conditions, line(s),
and any response controls, you can create a participants list on the Create
Negotiation:
Suppliers page:
1. Select how you wish to search for suppliers:
o Click the Add Supplier to search for and add suppliers to your
invitation list.
o Click Add Invitation List to apply a predefined list of suppliers.
Search for and select the Invitation List you want to apply. You can
use the same list for all negotiations.
2. From the search results, select the suppliers you wish to invite and click
Invite. You return to the previous page.
3. If there are multiple supplier sites (Supplier Site is another term for Address
Name), select the specific site you wish to invite to the negotiation. Different
sites for the same supplier can each submit a response.
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If there are multiple contacts for each site, select which contact you wish to
notify about this negotiation from the Contact menu. Additionally, if you
know the e-mail addresses of any other contacts at the company (including
possibly a distribution list), you can enter it in the Additional Contact Email
field. If the contact is unregistered, a notification is sent to invite the contact
to register and participate in the negotiation. The supplier user receives an
email notification with the negotiation invitation and a link to access the user
registration page. Once the registration request has been approved, the user
can participate in negotiations.
The system sends notifications to the invited suppliers providing them details
of the negotiation.
Note: You can also invite additional suppliers while the negotiation is in
progress. Your invitees will receive email notifications inviting them to
participate once the negotiation is successfully submitted.
2.1.1.14 How do I create an amendment to a negotiation?

After publishing a negotiation, the buyer can update information defined in the
document if necessary. This update is called an amendment. Respondents are
notified that the sourcing document has been amended and are required to review
their previous response and resubmit it in accordance with the amendment.
Amendments can be created anytime after the preview date/time (or open date/time,
if no preview date/time was specified) and before the close date/time.
To create an amendment to a sourcing document:
1. On the negotiations summary page, select Create Amendment from the
Actions menu.. You go to the Create Header page. Notice that the
negotiation number has now been given a suffix, for example, 12345, 1...
This suffix is incremented every time you create a new amendment for this
document.
2. On the Create Amendment Header page, you must enter a new Description
for the amendment and make any other header level attribute changes you
need.
3. On the Create Amendment: Lines page, enter any line changes, additions,
deletions, or updates to line information if necessary.
4. Change the negotiation rules on the Create Amendment: Controls page if
necessary.
5. If Oracle Procurement Contracts is implemented, and there are clauses and
deliverables defined to this negotiation, these can be changed on the Create
Amendment: Contract Terms page.
6. You cannot add or delete suppliers on the Create Amendment Suppliers
page during an amendment. To invite new suppliers, use the active
negotiation's negotiation summary page.
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7. You can review the new changes compared to the current active negotiation
by clicking Review.
8. If you have approvers identified on the Collaboration Team on the Create

Header page, you can submit the amendment for approval by clicking Submit
for Approval on the review page. Approvers will receive notification that
they need to approve the amendment. Once approved (or if approval is not
required), the Submit button changes to Publish. Once you click Publish, no
new responses can be received on the previous negotiation. All suppliers will
be required to acknowledge the amendment and resubmit their responses to
be eligible for award.
You can save the amendment as a draft at anytime during the creation process if you
click Save Draft. Draft amendments are available on the Negotiations Home page if
you click Drafts in the Manage Quick Links section.
2.1.2 Templates, Spreadsheets and Lists
2.1.2.1 How do I use negotiation templates?

You can use a document template of a specific type (RFI, RFQ, or auction) to create
a new document of the same type. See How do I create and edit negotiation
templates? for instructions on creating negotiation templates.
To use a sourcing document template:
1. Click the appropriate link under the Create area of Quick Links on the
Negotiations Home page.
2. On the Create: Header page, click Apply Template.
3. Search for and select the template you want to apply. On the results display,
select the template and click Apply to create a new negotiation with this
template.
4. You can add to, edit, or delete any of the negotiation information provided
by the template by proceeding through the steps of creating a negotiation.
2.1.2.2 What are line attributes and attribute lists, and how do I use them?
Line attributes enable a buyer to define multiple line-specific attributes, allowing
respondents not only to respond to the price, quality, and delivery, but also to other
features and performance characteristics of each line. The buyer can define unique
line attributes. These attributes may either require a response or no require a
response from the supplier.
When creating a negotiation, the buyer can score attribute values to indicate the
relative preferability of different responses. Line attributes can then also be weighted
to indicate the relative importance of a single attribute among the other weighted
attributes.
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Attributes are assigned to a predefined Attribute Group. This allows you to organize
attributes in relevant groups for analysis. For example, all technical attributes can be
placed one group while all non-technical attributes can be located in another.
Grouping allows the arrangement of data that is easier for both the supplier to
respond to and for the buyer to analyze responses, especially if several buyers are
collaborating on the analysis.
Attribute lists let a system administrator create system- or company-wide negotiation

attribute lists for repeated use. The reusable lists allow buyers to standardize the
information they wish to include with specific lines during negotiation creation.
2.1.2.3 How do I create and edit negotiation templates?

If the majority of the negotiations you create contain the same features - attributes,
terms and conditions, participation controls, etc. - you may want to create a
negotiation template that you can use each time you create a new negotiation.
Using a template saves time by streamlining the creation process. Your negotiation
template contains the features that are similar among the negotiations you commonly
create. When you create a new negotiation using a template, you simply apply the
template to the negotiation, add to and edit details of the negotiation (as necessary),
and publish your negotiation.
You can create as many templates as necessary. Since RFIs, RFQs, and buyer's
auctions are different documents, each type has its own template(s). You can create
both "private" templates (templates that only you can view, edit, and use) and
"public" templates (templates that all registered users in your company can view and
use).
Creating a new negotiation template

1. Click the appropriate create link under the Templates area of Quick
Links on the Negotiations Home page.
2. On the Templates page, click "Create New Template."
3. On the Step 1: Describe Your Template page, complete the
following fields (required fields are marked with an *asterisk):
*Template Name
Description
*Access. A template can be designated as either "public" (all
Buyers in your company can view and use the template) or
"private" (only you can view, edit, and use the template).
Note: In order to create "public" offer templates, you must be
assigned the appropriate authorization by your system
administrator.
Your template status will default to Active. Active templates
can be used immediately to create new negotiations. If you
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want to change your template's status to Inactive, you must

complete and submit your template, then edit your template
and select a new status from the drop-down menu at the Status
field. Inactive templates will be stored in the system, but
cannot be used to create a new offer until you change the
status to Active.
4. Complete the remaining pages by filling out the fields as appropriate
for the negotiation type. Once you have defined your template, click
Submit on the Review and Submit page.
2.1.2.4 How do I create and edit a reusable invitation list?

If you typically invite the same core group of suppliers to many of your negotiations,
you can add these participants to a reusable invitation list. An invitation list can help
standardize your business practices by ensuring that all appropriate participants are
invited to targeted negotiations. You can add an invitation list(s) when creating a
new Sourcing document; you can also attach an invitation list(s) to a Sourcing
document template.
To create a new invitation list:

1. Click "Invitation" under the Reusable Lists area of Quick Lists on the
2. On the Reusable Invitation Lists page, click "Create New Invitation List."
3. On the Create Invitation List page, complete the following fields
(*indicates a required field):
o *List Name
o *Description
o *Access
Invitation lists can be public or private. Your new list will default to
private. All users in your company with the correct authorizations can
view and use public lists; only you can use your private lists.
Sourcing Super Users or users with the Manage Invitation Lists
authorization can create, edit and manage public invitation lists as
well as their own private lists. Only you can create, edit, and use your
private lists.
The same list can be used for all types of sourcing document types
(RFI, RFQ, and auction).
o Status
Invitation lists are initially created as active. An active list can be
used immediately. To inactivate a list, edit the list and change the
status to inactive. An inactive list will be stored on the system, but
will not be available for use until reactivated.
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Sourcing Super Users or users with the Manage Invitation Lists job
function can create, edit, and manage public invitation lists, including
change the access and status.
4. Click "Add Suppliers," then search for suppliers to add to your invitation list.
5. Select the supplier(s) and click Add to Invitation List.
6. If the supplier you selected has multiple sites defined in the system, you can
choose a specific supplier site to associate with this list (Supplier Site is
another term for Address Name).
7. If you wish to add more suppliers to your list, click "Add Suppliers" again
and follow the perceiving instructions. For a supplier with multiple sites, you
can add an entry for each site for that supplier if you choose.
8. When you have finished adding suppliers, click Submit.
To edit an invitation list you have created:

1. Click "Invitation" under the Reusable Lists area of Quick Lists on the
2. Search for the list you wish to update.
3. On the search results page, find your list, then click Edit. If you are have the
Manage Invitation Lists job function, you can edit public lists.
4. On the Edit Invitation List page, update your list description, status, and
access as appropriate. You can also add or delete suppliers.
5. When you are finished, click Apply.
2.1.2.5 What happens to the item category when I create a negotiation by

applying a template and using spreadsheet upload?
A buyer can apply a predefined template to the RFQ or auction in creation Step 1
and then use the item creation by spreadsheet capability to upload details on multiple
items in Step 3. If the template and spreadsheet have conflicting category values, the
system uses the following hierarchy to determine which category value to use:
1. The value specified in the spreadsheet, or
2. The value defined for the RFQ/Auction template.
2.1.2.6 What happens to the attributes/price elements when I create a negotiation

by applying a template and using spreadsheet upload?
When you create an RFQ or auction by applying a template and then use the
spreadsheet upload feature to add your items, any attributes/price elements defined
for the template are added to any attributes/price elements you define via the
spreadsheet.
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For example, if there are three attributes/price elements for your template, and your
spreadsheet upload includes two items, item A with four attributes/price elements,
and item B with two attributes/price elements, the result of applying the template
and then uploading by spreadsheet is that item A now has seven attributes/price
elements and item B has five attributes/price elements.
If there are duplicate attribute/price elements between the template and the
spreadsheet, the precedence is:
1. the attribute/price element specified on the spreadsheet
2. the attribute/price element specified by the template.
2.1.3 Item Attributes, Attribute Scoring, Price Elements, and Price Breaks
2.1.3.1 What are line attributes, and why would I add them to my negotiation
lines?
When you add a line to a new negotiation (RFI, RFQ, auction), you may choose to
add one or more line attributes to that line. Line attributes define 1) unique
specifications that you set for a negotiation line, and 2) the details that a participant
should provide when responding to that negotiation line. Line attributes make your
negotiation line more descriptive and can also be used to ensure that all responses
submitted for the line include specific details not included elsewhere in the line
information.
For example, a buyer can create an auction to buy a fleet of 12 vehicles for a
delivery service. When the buyer adds the line (vehicle) to the auction, the buyer can
add an attribute called "mileage" to specify that the bid item must have fewer than
12,000 miles on the odometer. While the buyer could enter this information in the
auction line description, using an attribute to define this specification calls attention
to the specification. In addition, if the buyer marks this attribute as required, then
bidders must enter the mileage of any bid.
Line attributes can call attention to industry-specific characteristics. For example,
retail industry negotiation items can include such attributes as "color," "style," and
"SKU number." Metal industry negotiation items can include "grade of metal" as an
attribute. Adding these as required item attributes that are displayed to bidders can
customize your negotiation items to your specific industry.
For more information about how to add line attributes to your negotiation items, see
"How do I add attributes to my negotiation lines?"
2.1.3.2 How do I add line attributes to my negotiation?

You can add multiple line attributes to any line in your negotiation. The attribute(s)
are added to that line only, and do not apply to all lines in the negotiation.
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You can add line attributes when you add lines to your negotiation online, or when
you upload your negotiation lines from a spreadsheet created offline. You can also
add line attributes from a predefined attribute list or template.
To add line attributes online:

1. Create a new negotiation. After you enter your negotiation line information,
click Add Another Row under the Add Attributes section of the Lines:
Create/Update Line page.
2. When the page redisplays, enter your line attribute information. *Indicates a
required field:
o *Attribute (up to 240 characters)

Name your line attribute (for example: Mileage; PPM Defect Rate;
Grade).
o Group
Select an attribute group from the menu. Groups are used for
categorizing attributes.
o Attribute Type
Your attribute can be required (all suppliers must enter a value for
this attribute when responding), optional (suppliers are not required
to enter a value for this attribute when responding), or display only
(displayed without allowing any response).
o Value Type
Select the type of characters suppliers can enter for this attribute
when responding: Text (letters/words, digits), Number (digits with
decimals allowed), Date (numbers in date format), or URL (using the
format http://www.oracle.com). The value type also governs the
characters you can enter in the RFQ/Auction Value field.
Note: Text is the most flexible value type. If you select Text,
suppliers can enter letters as well as digits. If you select Numbers,
participants can only enter digits; if you select Dates, suppliers can
only enter digits in date format.
o Target Value (up to 4000 characters)
Enter a target value for the line attribute (for example: Fewer than
twelve thousand miles per vehicle; Fewer than eight defects per
million parts manufactured).
o Display Target
Indicate whether you want participants to see your target value.
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o Weight (Multi-Attribute Scored negotiations only)

Enter a number that reflects the importance of this attribute relative to
other scored attributes for this line. For example, a scored attribute
with a weight of 50 is twice as important as an attribute with a weight
of 25. The sum of all weights cannot be more than 100. Weights and
scores are used by the system when calculating response ranking.
o Score (Multi-Attribute Scored negotiations only)
Click the pencil icon to access the Update Line: Enter Scoring
Criteria page. Use this page to enter the possible values you will
accept for this attribute. You can use discrete values or value ranges.
3. Click Add Another Row to add additional attributes to this line. Click Apply
when you are finished.
4. Continue through the steps of creating your negotiation.
To add line attributes using a spreadsheet

To add line attributes using a spreadsheet, you must download and complete the
spreadsheet prior to the bulk load.
Add your line attribute information into the Attribute, Group, Quote/Bid Response,
Attribute Value Type, RFQ/Auction Value, and RFQ/Auction Value Displayed
columns of your spreadsheet (see Step 2 above for more information on each of
these columns). When you enter a line attribute on your spreadsheet, all line attribute
fields except RFQ/Auction Value and RFQ/Auction Display are required.
If you want to add another line attribute(s), copy the following set of columns on the
spreadsheet: Attribute, Group, Quote/Bid Response, Attribute Value Type,
RFQ/Auction Value, and RFQ/Auction Value Displayed. Paste the set of six
columns to the right of the existing set of line attribute columns (be sure to paste the
set of columns into the spreadsheet before the End of line delimiter column).
1. Create a new negotiation. When you are ready to upload lines to your
negotiation, on the Create: Lines page, select Load from Spreadsheet from
the Add Line menu and click Go.
2. On the Import Lines page, use the Browse button to navigate to the location
of your spreadsheet file.
3. Click Import.
To add line attributes from a predefined attribute list:

1. Create a new negotiation. After you enter your negotiation line information,
click Add Attribute List.
2. Search for the attribute list you want to apply. Click the Add icon .
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3. When you have finished adding line attributes from the attribute list, you can
enter additional line attributes online, apply another predefined attribute list,
or continue through the steps of creating your negotiation.
To add line attributes from a template:

1. On the Create: Header page, click Apply Template.
2. On the Search and Select: Template page, enter search criteria and click Go.
3. Select the template and click Apply. Any attributes defined to the template
are added to the new document.
2.1.3.3 Can I base my award decision on line attributes other than just price?
Generally you award business to the supplier who responds with the best price. But
sometimes other negotiation attributes may be more important. For example, the
date by which a supplier can supply a negotiation line may be more important than
simply the price being offered. Or the best response may be from the supplier who
can supply the largest amount of the line quantity you need even though the price is
not as good as that offered by a different supplier.
When creating your RFQ or auction, you can select from two different types of
response ranking: Price Only or Multi-Attribute Weighted Scoring. Multi-Attribute
Weighted Scoring allows you to enter scores and weights to line attributes, Quantity
and/or Need-By Date. Based on how a supplier responds, the system calculates a
total score for the response. Responses are then ranked based on a ratio of price to
total score. The lower the ratio, the more desirable the response. Note that you can
still award the negotiation to any response or multiple responses regardless of the
rank determined by the system.
The rank indicator is displayed to the buyer and suppliers and is selected by the
buyer.
Planning weights and scores:

1. Identify the important attributes of your negotiation.
2. You can only score attributes which are defined as Required. For each
attribute you wish to score, identify all the possible responses you will accept
and group them into acceptable Quote/Bid responses. You can enter as many
acceptable values as you need to indicate the importance of the different
responses adequately. For number and date attributes, you may enter
acceptable ranges. For text attributes you enter text values. These values are
displayed to the trading partner in a list of values.
3. Assign each acceptable Quote/Bid response a score, with 100 indicating the
most desirable and 0 indicating the least desirable response. Different
Quote/Bid responses can have the same score. Scores cannot have decimals.
4. After scoring each acceptable Quote/Bid response value, rank the relative
importance of the attributes by assigning each attribute a weight. Unlike
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scores, the sum of the attribute weights cannot total more than 100. Weights
will be used as a percentage when the system calculates a response's value as
explained below.
See "How do I define weighted attributes and scores for my negotiation
items?" for actual details on defining scores and weights.
How weights and scores are used to calculate a response's rank

Once you have identified the important attributes of your negotiation and assigned
them weights and scores, the system uses them to determine the total score for the
responses to your negotiation. Since all weighted attributes are required attributes,
each respondent must specify a value for that attribute. The system calculates the
value of a response as follows:
1. For each response to a weighted attribute, the system determines the score
based on the attribute value scores you defined. For date and number
attributes, the system determines which accepted range the value falls in. If
the response does not fall in an acceptable range, the response receives a
score of 0 for the attribute.
2. The score determined is then multiplied by the weight assigned to the
attribute.
3. The adjusted scores are added to determine the total score for the response.
The total score is then divided by 100 to convert it to a percentage. The price
is then divided by the total score to determine the price to total score ratio.
The response with the lowest ratio is considered the more desirable response.
Example:
Assume a buyer has defined a negotiation and selected the following attributes to be
weighted:
Attribute Weight
Quantity 50
Need-by Date 30
Color (user
defined 20
attribute)
For each of these attributes, the buyer has also defined and scored all acceptable
values:
Attribute Acceptable Values Score
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Quantity < 1000 60
Quantity > 1001 100
Need-by Date < 31/10/2002 100
Need-by Date 01/11/2002 - 31/12/2002 80
Need-by Date > 01/01/2003 50
Color Red 100
Color Blue 75
Given these definitions, the price to total score ratios for the following two possible
responses are calculated as shown, and Response 2 would be designated as the best
response even though the bid price for Response 2 is higher.
Response 1:
Attribute Response Value
Quantity 980
Need-by Date 15/11/2001
Color Blue
Price $250
Total Score: (60 * 50) + (80 * 30) + (75 * 20) / 100 = 69

Price to Total Score Ratio: 250 / 69 = 3.62
Response 2:
Attribute Response Value
Quantity 1200
Need-by Date 05/01/2002
Color Red
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Price $300
Total Score: (100 * 50) + (50 * 30) + (100 * 20)/100 = 85

Price to Total Score Ratio = 300 / 85 = 3.53
2.1.3.4 How do I define weighted attributes and scores for my negotiation lines?
Generally the winner of a negotiation is the supplier who offers the lowest price.
However you may want to consider supplier responses to other line attributes in
addition to price being offered when determining the best response. You can
accomplish the by specifying weighting and scoring values for your line attributes.
The system can then include the suppliers' responses to your line attributes when
calculating the best response. See What are line attributes? for information about
defining line attributes. See Can I base my award decision on attributes other than
just price? for an explanation of how weights and scores are used to determine the
best response.
To use weighting and scoring when defining a negotiation:

1. See "What information must I provide to describe my negotiation header"?
After you have defined the negotiation header, click "Lines" in the
navigation bar in the top left hand corner.
2. On the Create: Lines page, Make sure you select Multi-Attribute Scoring
from the Ranking menu. Select a ranking method if the Sourcing Super User
has set the system up to allow you to change ranking methods, and you do
not wish to use the default. Select Online from the menu and click Go.
3. On the Lines: Create Line page, use the instructions in "How do I add lines
to a negotiation"? to enter the line data and other required and optional line
information.
4. To enter a line attribute, navigate to the Attributes table and click Add
Another Row.
5. When the page refreshes, enter your line attribute information. *Indicates a
required field:
o *Attribute (up to 240 characters)
Name your line attribute (for example: Mileage; PPM Defect Rate;
Grade).
o Group
Select one of the predefined attribute groups. Groups are used for
categorizing attributes.
o Attribute Type
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How the supplier should respond to the attribute. Responses can be

required or optional. Or the attribute can be for display only. To
weight an attribute, it must have an attribute type of Required.
o Value Type
Select the type of characters suppliers can enter for this attribute
when responding: Text (letters or words, digits), Number (digits only,
decimals allowed), or Date (numbers in date format). The value type
also governs the characters you can enter in the Target Value field.
o Target Value (up to 4000 characters)
Optionally enter a target value for the item (for example: Fewer than
twelve thousand miles per vehicle; Fewer than eight defects per
million parts manufactured). The target value represents the best or
most desirable response from the supplier.
o Display Target
Indicate whether you want suppliers to see your target value.
o Weight
The relative importance of this attribute among the line's other
wieghted attributes. Assign values one to 100. The sum of all the
line's weights cannot be more than 100. Weights are used by the
system when calculating the best response.
o Score
Clicking the Score icon accesses the scoring criteria page. You use
this page to specify scores for the attribute values you anticipate
receiving.
6. Click Score.
7. On the Create Line: Enter Scoring Criteria page, specify the acceptable
values for this attribute and the score each value receives, with 100
indicating the most desirable value and 0 the least. Note that two values can
have the same score. For example, assuming an attribute of color. The
possible values might be red, blue, and green, and the score values might be
100 for both red and blue, but only 50 for green. Note that there is a limit of
30 characters for the values.
o For text value types, enter and score every acceptable value.
Respondents can select these values from a List of Values.
o For number value types, assign a score to a single number or a range
of numbers.
To specify a single number, enter that number in both the
From and To fields.
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To specify a delimited range, enter the beginning number in

the From field and the ending number in the To field. Range
values are inclusive.
To specify an open-ended range, enter the limiting number in
either the From or To field. For example, to include all
numbers less than 1000, enter nothing ( or 0) in the From field
and 1000 in the To field. To include all numbers greater than
5000, enter 5000 in the From field and nothing in the To field.
Do not overlap values. Any numbers you don't score are
assumed to have a score of 0.
o For date value types, enter a valid date. Date values obey the same
rules as number values. You can score a specific date, a delimited
range of dates, or an open-ended range of dates.
8. If you need to add and score more values than fit on the page, click Add 5
Rows. When you have entered all your scores for this attribute, click Apply.
You are returned to the Create Line page.
9. Repeat the preceding steps to define and score any additional attributes.
10. If the quantity is important to your auction, click Score to the left of the
Quantity field. Use the instructions above on scoring number value types to
specify scores for any quantity levels you may receive. By default, the full
negotiation quantity is scored as 100. When you have scored your quantity
levels, click Apply.
Note: Make sure to allow partial Quote/Bid values when you define your
Negotiation Controls in the subsequent step otherwise you will receive an
error message.
11. If a Need-by Date is important, enter a date or date range. To score the dates
received in a response, click Score and use the instructions above on scoring
date value types to score the date values you expect to receive. After scoring
Need-by Date, click Apply.
12. After you have finished scoring your item attributes, you are returned to the
Create Line page. Enter weighting values in the Weight field for every
attribute you scored (the Weight field will be unavailable for any attributes
defined as Optional or Display Only). Specify how much weight each
attribute should be given when evaluating supplier responses. If you choose
to add or modify scoring information for a line, you can click Score to access
the scoring criteria page again. You do not have to weight every required
attribute, but you must weight any attribute you have scored.
o Enter a number from 1 to 100 to indicate the relative weight of each
attribute.
o The sum of all weights cannot be more than 100. Click Recalculate to
see the correct total of your weight values for this line attribute.
o Each number should indicate the relative importance of that attribute
within the other weighted attributes.
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o To set the weights for all attributes equally, click Equalize Weights.
If there are an odd number of attributes, the system will assign
weights as equally as possible.
2.1.3.5 How do I use price elements?

Price elements allow a buyer to identify additional costs associated with a particular
negotiation line. Such costs could include services such as training or consulting, or
discrete costs such as shipping fees. Buyers can specify when they create the
negotiation how much they anticipate paying for these additional costs. These costs
can then be negotiated between a buyer and supplier just like the item price. Price
elements allow you to:
Identify suppliers with the lowest total cost per line not just the lowest item
price.
Take into account any additional costs or charges when considering
outsourcing a project.
Identify hidden activities or "cost drivers" to facilitate improved analysis and
decision-making.
Support supply chain operations more efficiently by recognizing and
analyzing how one organization's performance and costs affect another
organization.
Note: If the negotiation outcome is a blanket purchase agreement, the supplier's
response prices to the price elements will not be rolled up into the line total price.
This is because in the absence of a line response quantity, the supplier's response
values for fixed-amount type price elements cannot be converted to a unit price,
which is required to compute a total unit price.
2.1.3.6 What are Reusable Price Element Lists, and how do I create and use
them?
Reusable Price Element Lists allow you to group several price elements which are
related or are typically used together. For example, you might create a price element
list identifying normally expected transportation costs, for example, freight charges
or import duty fees. Or you might create a list that identifies additional services such
as consulting or training that will be required by a particular negotiation item. Once
you have created a price element list, you can apply that price element list to any
negotiations (RFQs or auctions) containing items to which those price elements are
applicable. You can create new price element lists or edit existing lists.
You must be assigned the Create Reusable Price Element Lists job function to create
these lists.
To create a new price element list:

1. Click the Price Element link under Reusable Lists on the Quick Links section
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2. On the Price Element Lists page, click Create Price Element List.
3. On the Create Reusable Price Element List page, enter the following
information:
o List Name - You can enter up to 80 characters for the price list name,
but it must be unique among price element lists.
o Description - You can enter up to 240 characters for the price list
description.
o Status - The default status is Active. If you select Inactive, this list
cannot be applied to any negotiation.
4. From the Price Elements menu, select the price element you wish to add and
click Add to List. To add additional price elements, select the price elements
and click Add to List. Continue until you have added all the price elements
you need. After you have added the last price element, click Apply.
If you wish to delete any price elements from the list, select the price element
and click Delete. Clicking Cancel discards any changes you have made, and
returns you to the Price Element Lists page.
5. If any of the price elements you added to your list is inactive, you receive an
error message. You must remove the element from your list, activate it, and
then add it to the list again. A price element list is also validated when it is
applied to a negotiation.
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To edit a price list:

1. Click the Price Element link under Reusable Lists on the Quick Links section
2. On the Price Element Lists page, search and select the list you want to edit.
You can search for a particular price list by :
o The list name.
o The first few words of the list description.
o The list status (Any, Active or Inactive).
o The name of any price element defined to the list. (This returns all
price element lists using that price element.)
3. When you have entered the search data, click Go.
4. The search results display any price element lists matching your search
criteria.
5. To edit the list, you can either click the price element list name link, or select
the price element list and click Edit.
6. On the Edit Price Element List page, you can
o update the description for the price element list.
o change the price element list status.
o add or delete price elements from the list.
7. When you have finished making your changes, click Apply. The new list is
validated. If any price elements are inactive, you receive an error message.
2.1.3.7 What are price breaks, and how do I use them?

Price breaks allow you to negotiate line prices with your supplier based on
characteristics of your order. For example, you may expect to receive a discount
from your supplier if you buy a large quantity of units, and you may specify several
quantity levels and the prices you are willing to pay at each. Or you may be willing
to pay more per unit if your supplier can ship the order to a special location, or by a
certain deadline.
For each (non-amount-based) line in your negotiation, you can define as many price
breaks as are appropriate. Your suppliers respond to your negotiation specifying
their responses to your price breaks. You can then enter different assumptions into
the system and have it calculate which response is the best.
Example: Assume you are purchasing PC keyboards. You specify 20$ as your start
or base price. You then set up two quantity-based price breaks. The first offers a
price of 19$ per unit if buying more than 100. The second offers a price of $18 a unit
if purchasing over 500. For these price breaks, you receive the responses shown in
the table below.
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Your price break Supplier 1's Supplier 2's

Your offered price
level Response Response
1 $20 $19 $19
100 $19 $18 $17
500 $18 $15 $16
Once you have entered your price break values and your suppliers have responded to
them, you can enter assumptions into the system and it will calculate which response
is the best. For example, given the price break structure defined in the table above, if
you buy 120 PC keyboards, the system will identify Supplier 2 as the best response.
However, if you buy 550 PC keyboards, Supplier 1 is the best response.
Setting Up Price Breaks

You can only define price breaks for documents with an outcome of blanket
purchase agreement. Additionally, you can only define price breaks on goods-based
line items. For each line, you can set break prices for:
A quantity range
A Ship-To Address
An effective time period
Any combination of the above
All price breaks for a single line are either cumulative or non-cumulative. If the
price breaks are cumulative, the break accumulates as the quantity increases. If a
line's price breaks are cumulative, the effective date values are not available for
price break usage.
You can control the ability of your supplier to respond to your price breaks. Click
Select Price Break Settings to access the Create line: Select Price Break Setting
page. You can specify what the supplier's response to the price break should be. You
can allow suppliers to respond with new price breaks of their own as well as edit any
price breaks that you suggest, or your can restrict them to only offering price
responses to the price breaks you define.
To enter price breaks:
1. On the Line: Create Line page, define your negotiation line normally. Be
sure it is not an amount-based line type.
2. Click Select Price Break Settings.
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3. Select Required to force to supplier to respond to the price breaks you define,
otherwise select optional. If you select None, you will not be able to enter
price breaks. Also select either Cumulate or Non-Cumulative. If you select
Non-Cumulative, you will not be able to negotiate on effective dates.
4. Define your price breaks. You can set breaks by unit quantity, price, Ship-To
address/organization, and effective dates (available for non-cumulative price
breaks only). For each price break criterion, you can offer a particular target
price. Click Add Another Row to define additional price breaks. You can
define as many price breaks as are needed to fully define your pricing
structure. For example, you could define multiple price breaks based only on
order quantity.
5. Once you have defined all your price breaks, click Apply.
Analyzing Price Breaks

Once you have defined your price break expectations, and your supplier(s) have
responded with quotes, you can have the system evaluate the supplier responses
based on scenario information you enter. For example, you could enter different
order quantities and see which supplier response is the best for a certain quantity.
To analyze price break information:
1. Search for the negotiation you're interested in.
2. On the table of negotiations, click the response number link.
3. On the negotiations summary page, click Analyze by Line from the Actions
menus and click Go.
4. Select the negotiation line, and click Analyze Price Breaks.
5. On the Analyze Line: Analyze Price Breaks page, you can enter different
values in the fields under Enter Assumptions and have the system calculate
the best response based on the values you enter. You can enter values for all
price breaks you defined and the system will calculate which of the responses
is best for the values you entered.
2.1.4 Additional Creation Topics
2.1.4.1 What are some negotiations strategies I can use?

When creating a negotiation, you can use a number of techniques to facilitate the
results you want:
Using item attribute requirements
You can add item attributes to any of your items. Item attributes define 1)
unique specifications that you set for an item, and 2) the details that a
participant should provide when responding to that item.
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If you want to ensure that specific details accompany every response to an

auction item, add those details as item attributes, and mark the item attributes
as required. All participants will be required to submit the requested attribute
information with their responses.
Using AutoExtend and Bid Decrement processing (auctions only)

o AutoExtend
If you set AutoExtend to "yes," your auction is automatically
extended if a new best bid is received during the AutoExtend window.
The most competitive bids are often received in the closing minutes
of an auction. By enabling AutoExtend, you allow all bidders the
extra time to match and surpass the most competitive bids. Enabling
several AutoExtensions can spark several rounds of competitive
participation.
o Bid Decrement
If you enable bid decrement, you specify that bids must improve by
the minimum amount you choose.
Bid decrement enables you to eliminate fractional improvements in
bid prices. Bid decrement accelerates improvements in bid prices and
can help you quickly reach - and surpass - your target price. Bid
improvement controls only apply to the current round of bidding.
They are not carried over from one round of bidding to and
subsequent round.
Setting a Quote/Bid Start Price and a Target Price

You can set a Quote/Bid start price and/or a target price for each item.
o Quote/Bid Start Price
Starting price for one unit of your negotiation item.
By setting a start price, you communicate to participants the threshold
beyond which you will not award the auction item. Setting a start
price enables you to ensure that no bids above the start price will be
accepted.
o Target Price
Price you hope to pay for one unit of your negotiation item.
By displaying a target price, you set an "ideal" threshold toward
which the most competitive responders can strive. You can also
quickly spark a round of competitive participation around your target
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price, potentially leading to a best response that improves upon your

target price.
Controlling the visibility of competing quotes/bids

You can create an open, blind, or sealed negotiation:
o Open (auctions only)
All buyers can see the responses in the negotiation, though the
supplier identity is concealed.
o Blind
Only the buyer can see the negotiation responses.
o Sealed
Neither the buyer nor the suppliers can see the responses until they
are unlocked and unsealed by the buyer.
In an open negotiation suppliers see the current best price for the negotiation, and
immediately know whether they can respond competitively. An open negotiation
enables you to eliminate responses that do not improve on the current best prices,
and increases the likelihood that you will receive competitive responses that drive
prices in your favor.
Alternatively, if you have an urgent supply need, you might consider creating a blind
or sealed auction so that bidders cannot see other bidders' bid prices . In some cases,
"blind" bidding may lead to better bid prices, because bidders are required to
anticipate what other bidders will bid, and will therefore submit their best possible
bid price more quickly.
Allowing or disallowing partial quotes/bids

You can specify that suppliers must respond to all items in the negotiation.
If you require suppliers to respond to all negotiation items, suppliers may
improve response prices on certain items (to remain competitive in the
negotiation) while making their margins on other items. When you award the
negotiation, you can award business by line item, which allows you to "pick
and choose" among the best responses from several suppliers for each item.
You can award the negotiation to multiple suppliers, each of whom has
submitted the best price for a particular item or items.
Allowing multiple rounds of Quoting/Bidding

After your RFQ or auction has closed, you can initiate a new round of
bidding on the same auction if you set the Quote/Bid controls to allow
multiple rounds of responses (RFQs always permit multiple rounds or
quoting). You might decide to initiate a new round of quoting or bidding if
you were unsatisfied with the responses from the first round or if you want to
add to or change certain details of the RFQ or auction.
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Using price elements

Price elements identify additional item costs beyond just price. Such costs
could include service related costs such as training or consulting services.
Using price breaks

You can define price breaks on which you can then negotiate with your
suppliers to develop a pricing structure based on item quantity, delivery
location, or promise date
2.1.4.2 What is a sourcing event?

A sourcing event is group of related negotiations. You may want to create a sourcing
event if you need to monitor several related negotiations as a group rather than
individually. You may also want to create an event if you want to encourage
respondents to participate in multiple, similar negotiations.
To use events, you first create an event. Once the event is created, you can associate
negotiations with the event while creating the negotiation on the Create Header
page. You can continue to associate negotiations with the event until the event's
inactive date is reached.
To create a sourcing event:
1. Click "Event" under the Create area of Quick Links on the Negotiations
Home page.
2. On the Create Event page, enter a title, description, and an inactive date.
Your event is opened as soon as it is created. You can then start associating
negotiations with it. You can continue associating negotiations with the event
until its inactive date is reached.
3. Click OK. This takes you to the Manage Events page.
To manage a sourcing event:

1. Clicking OK on the Create Event page or "Events" from the Manage area of
Quick Links on the Negotiations Home page takes you to the Manage
Events page.
2. To see event details, click the event number link.
3. To see the negotiations associated with the event, select the event and click
"View Negotiations." Note that any draft negotiations associated with this
event are not shown.
4. To cancel an event, click Cancel. You have the choice of canceling only the
event or canceling the event and all negotiations associated with it as well.
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5. To modify an event's information click Edit. On the Edit Event page, you
can modify the description and inactive date. Note that you can move the
inactive date forward in time to extend an event. You can also move an
inactive date backward although not prior to the current date/time.
2.1.4.3 Are there any shortcuts available when creating a sourcing document?
There are many ways you can streamline the creation of sourcing documents:
Copying an existing document
You can copy documents that you, or any other users in your organization, have
previously created. The details of the document such as the controls, terms and
conditions, item information, and invitation list are copied into a new document
which you can edit if necessary.
Using document templates

If many of the negotiations you create contain the same features, you may want to
create a template that you can use each time you create a sourcing document. This
allows you to standardize business practices and save time. Your template will
contain the features that are similar among the negotiations you commonly create.
When you create a document using a template, you simply open the template and
add to or edit details of the template as necessary.
If you are assigned the Manage Sourcing Document Templates job function, you can
also create and manage public templates in addition to your private ones. The public
document templates will be available for every Sourcing buyer at your company.
Using Reusable Attribute Lists

Attribute lists can streamline the document creation process while providing
standardization for negotiation items. If you are assigned the Manage Attribute List
job function, you can create attribute lists for use by all Sourcing buyers at your
company. An attribute list is a grouping of attributes that are commonly used
together to describe a good or service.
Using Reusable Invitation Lists

You can create Reusable Invitation Lists containing names of suppliers who you
frequently invite to your negotiations. Invitation lists can be shared across the
company. This can help you standardize your business practice as well as speed up
the negotiation creation process.
If you are assigned the Manage Invitation List job function, you can create and
manage public Reusable Attribute Lists, in addition to your private ones. The public
lists will be available for Sourcing buyers at your company.
Using spreadsheets
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You can download and use spreadsheets to efficiently create and award RFQs and
auctions having many line items.
Using draft RFQs/auctions

You can create and save an auction intending to submit it later. These draft
documents also allow multiple collaborators to work on the same document.
Creating RFQs/auctions using Autocreate

If your company has licensed both Oracle Purchasing and Oracle Sourcing, you can
use the Autocreate feature of Oracle Purchasing to select and group requisitions to
create draft RFQs or auctions.
2.1.4.4 Can I create and save sourcing documents without submitting them?
There may be times when you cannot finish creating your RFI, RFQ, or auction in a
single session, or the creation process involves collaboration between several people.
Or you need to create a negotiation but not actually submit it until sometime in the
future. In each of these cases, you can create a draft of the RFI/RFQ/auction and
save it for later editing or submission.
Initially creating a draft

Once you have completed the Step 1 Describe page, you can save your draft from
any of the subsequent pages by clicking Save Draft. A confirmation message
informs you that your draft has been successfully saved. At this point you can
click "Continue editing your draft" to access your draft for editing
click "Manage Draft Negotiations" to access the Manage Draft
Negotiations page. From this page, you can access drafts for editing or
submission.
Using draft negotiations created by AutoCreate in Oracle Purchasing

When you AutoCreate requisitions into a Sourcing RFQ or buyer's auction, Oracle
Sourcing creates a draft negotiation which includes all the requisition links you
selected.
After creating a draft negotiation using requisition information from Oracle

Purchasing, you can immediately access and edit the draft to continue creating your
negotiation. Or you can use the Manage Draft Negotiations page in Oracle
Sourcing to access and submit the draft at a later time.
The items in your draft negotiation carry information from the backing requisitions.
Some of this information, such as item quantity and need-by date are updateable, but
other information, such as operating unit and functional currency are not.
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When you first access the draft document AutoCreated from Oracle Purchasing, you
must complete Step 1 of the creation process.
You can add additional items to the draft, and you can update all the normal
attributes for these items.
Accessing and editing draft RFQs/auctions

Once you have saved your draft, you can subsequently access it for editing or
submission.
1. Click the Manage Quick Link under Draft to display the Manage Draft
Negotiations page. This page lists the drafts created by users at your
company. You can always access drafts you own, and depending on your
authorizations, you may be able to access others' drafts as well.
2. To access a draft, select the draft and click Edit, Delete, or Review and
Submit.
o If you click Delete, you are prompted to confirm your deletion. The
draft is deleted from the system.
o If you click Edit, you are placed into the draft and can update
information as needed. While editing your draft, you can click Clear
Changes to undo any updates since the last time you saved your draft.
o If you click Review and Submit, you can check the draft information
and then submit the negotiation for processing. Once you submit a
draft, it is removed from the list of drafts on the Manage Draft
Negotiations page.
Using drafts with multi-round negotiations

If you have chosen to take a negotiation to an additional round, you have the option
of saving the new round's information as a draft. When you save a draft, the status of
the previous round is changed to Round Completed and is therefore no longer
available for awarding. Note however that once you save the draft, if you
subsequently delete it, the status of the prior negotiation is changed back to Not
Awarded, and it available for awarding.
Security on draft negotiations

Users with the Create Buyer's Negotiation function can save and subsequently edit
their draft negotiations. When you access the Manage Draft Negotiations page, you
always see the drafts which you own or on which you are a collaboration team
member. If you are the draft creator, you can edit, review and submit, unlock, or
delete any of these drafts.
For public negotiations:
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Anyone with the Edit Draft Sourcing Documents function can access and edit draft
negotiations AutoCreated from Oracle Purchasing.
Anyone with the Manage Draft Sourcing Documents function can access and edit
drafts created by others at the same company. If you have this function and access
the Manage Draft Negotiations page, you can edit any drafts that are not locked.
Additionally, anyone with the Unlock Draft Sourcing Documents function can break
a lock on a draft but not access it for editing or submission. This is a useful
authorization for an administrator to have in case a draft needs to be edited, but the
buyer has locked it and is subsequently unavailable, for example, on vacation. If you
have both the Manage Draft Sourcing Documents and the Unlock Draft Sourcing
Documents, you can unlock and edit other's drafts from the Manage Draft
Negotiations page.
For private negotiations:

You must be the negotiation owner or a collaboration team member working on the
negotiation to access the draft. If you are a collaboration member with view-only
access, you can view the draft but not edit it. If you are a collaboration member not
restricted to view-only access, you can perform whatever tasks are allowed by your
function security.
Note: The Sourcing Super User, by default, is authorized to manage and unlock
drafts.
2.1.4.5 How do I create a deliverable and use it in a negotiation document?

Businesses enter into contractual agreements with their trading partners and, as part
of the contractual agreement, will have commitments to fulfill. The commitments on
the contracts, besides products and services bought or sold, are classified as
deliverables, under the terms and conditions of the contract. In addition to the
contractual commitments that businesses need to fulfill, they might define other
internal tasks that contribute to the overall execution of the contract. If Oracle
Procurement Contracts is implemented, you can create a deliverable and assign it to
a negotiation.
To create a deliverable for a particular negotiation:
1. On the Create Header page, click Contract Terms in navigation bar
in the top left of the page.
2. Search for and apply a contracts template.
3. Click the Deliverables subtab and check that any deliverable already
defined to this template is applicable for your negotiation. You can
update a deliverable if needed or delete it altogether
4. To add a new deliverable, click Add Deliverable.
5. On the Create Deliverable page define your new deliverable. See the
Oracle Procurement Contracts online help for instructions on defining
deliverables.
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6. After you have finished defining your deliverable, click Apply. If

there are multiple deliverables to define, you can click Apply and
Create Another. Once the page refreshes, you can define your next
deliverable.
2.1.4.6 How do I copy a sourcing document?

You can copy sourcing documents that you or any other users in your organization
have created. You can copy an existing document to create a new document of the
same type (RFI, RFQ, or auction).
To copy an existing negotiation:
1. Click "Copy" under the Create section of Quick Links on the Negotiations
Home page.
2. Search for the negotiation you want to copy. You can click the negotiation
number to see details about the negotiation.
3. Once you have found the negotiation you are interested in, click the Copy
icon at the right of the page. Clicking Copy places you on a new Create
Header page with the existing information inserted.
4. Edit your new negotiation by continuing through the creation steps. Note that
most of the information you defined previously is carried forward into the
copy. This includes any contract clauses or deliverables (terms, conditions,
and deliverables are available if Oracle Procurement Contracts is
implemented).
5. Note that you will have to specify new Open Date and Close Date values
6. When you have finished creating your new negotiation, click Review. Verify
your negotiation information, then click Submit for Approval if approvers
are specified for this negotiation, otherwise click Publish to open it for
responding.
2.1.4.7 What are contract terms and conditions, and how do I use them in my
negotiation?
If Oracle Procurement Contracts is installed and licensed, you can create contract
terms and apply them to your negotiation. You can use contract terms to specify
legal and other requirements for your negotiation. Using contract terms is an easy
way to create and maintain standardized contract text which can be customized as
needed. You need the Contracts Terms Library Administrator responsibility to create
and maintain clauses and contract templates in the Contract Terms Library. You
need the Manage Contract Terms responsibility to create and maintain contract
terms on negotiation documents.
To apply contract terms to your sourcing document:
1. On the Create Negotiation page, click Contract Terms in the navigation bar
at the top left side of the page.
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2. On the Create Contract Terms page, search for and select a contract
template from the list of values. See the Oracle Procurement Contracts online
help for information on using contract templates.
3. Click Apply Template.
4. You can edit the clauses applied by the template as needed. You can add,
delete or modify text. See the Oracle Procurement Contracts online help for
instructions on modifying clauses.
5. Select Validate from the Actions menu to verify the validity of the contract
terms you are defining. If you receive any error messages, you must correct
them and validate again.
6. When you have completed your contract terms, continue by either clicking
Suppliers to define a supplier invitation list, or clicking Review to inspect the
negotiation prior to publishing it.
2.1.4.8 How do I view the backing information for lines AutoCreated from
Oracle Purchasing?
You can use the AutoCreate feature of Oracle Purchasing to use existing requisition
information in Oracle Purchasing to create an RFQ or auction in Oracle Sourcing.
Once the new draft negotiation has been created, you can access it and continue
creating your negotiation. This includes all the other tasks such as creating your
header, adding any additional lines, specifying negotiation controls, and possibly
inviting suppliers. Along the way, you may wish to view the requisition line
information for the lines that AutoCreate carried over from Oracle Purchasing. For
example, you may need to view the demand linked to a particular negotiation line.
Or you may need the name of a contact who can answer questions you have about
the negotiation line. You can see this line information on the View Requisition Line
Summary display.
To view the backing requisition information during negotiation creation:

1. After you have created your header by adding a title (and adding/modifying
any other information) clicks Lines in the top left navigation bar.
2. The Create Lines page displays any lines AutoCreate created using
requisitions in Oracle Purchasing and allows you to create additional lines if
necessary.
3. For AutoCreated lines, click the requisition number link to view detailed
information on the line.
4. On the Requisition Summary page, click the requisition number link, and
then click the Details icon.
5. The Requisition Line Details page displays information in the following
areas:
o Requisition
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o Negotiation
o Order
o Shipment
o Receipt
o Invoice
o Payment
To view the backing requisition information after the negotiation has been
published:
1. Access the negotiation.
2. From the negotiation summary page, click the Lines subtab.
3. For the line whose requisition information you wish to view, click the
number link in the Requisition column. This takes you to the Requisition
Summary page.
4. Click the number link in the Line column. This takes you to the Requistion
Detail page.
2.1.4.9 What are amount based line types, and how are they used?
Sometimes the item you need to negotiate is not a number of discrete units, but more
of a service or activity. For example, you might need to negotiate training or
consulting services. Such activities can be negotiated by using amount based line
types.
When you create a negotiation, you can specify that an item is amount based by
selecting an amount based Line Type value. The possible values are defined in
Oracle Purchasing. If you select a line type that is amount based, the quantity and
unit of measure defaults to the values defined by your administrator and is display
only. A category value may also appear if your administrator has defined a default
category for that line type.
2.1.4.10 How do collaboration teams work?

When creating a negotiation, buyers can nominate collaboration team members to
participate in the creation and administration of the sourcing document. This
includes the entire life of the sourcing document from the initial creation to the
award process. Buyers can optionally grant full access to some team members while
restricting others to read-only access. Each member can be assigned specific tasks,
and some team members may be required to approve the final document before
delivery to potential suppliers. Such tasks could include defining the item attributes,
inviting additional suppliers, awarding business to supplier, and creating document
outcomes.
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2.1.4.11 Who can participate as team members?

The negotiation creator and anyone with Manage Collaboration Team job function
can add/delete team members. You can define a collaboration team when creating
the document or you can use document templates to define collaboration teams. By
default, all members have full access to the sourcing document, but members can be
restricted to read-only access where appropriate. The buyer and the buyer's manager
always default to the team and cannot be removed. Any other user from the same
buying organization can be added. Team members can be optionally assigned tasks
with target dates. Team members with required tasks should indicate when those
tasks are completed.
Collaboration team members must belong to the business group of the negotiation,
which is determined from the owning operating unit. If the buyer changes the
operating unit after defining the negotiation team, the system will validate that the
team members belong to the new business group of the operation unit.
Note: This rule is only in effect if the profile option HR: Cross Business Group is
not set to Yes. If the profile option is set to Yes, the buyer can add employees from
different business groups.
Document Approval Process
Any user who is on the Collaboration Team can be designated as an approver for
that document. Approvers can be added or removed as necessary at any time before
the sourcing document is submitted for approval. Any user who has access to modify
a draft document and has the functional security of "Manage Collaboration Team"
can change the list of approvers.
Once the document has been submitted for approval, no changes can be made to it
(other than having approvers removed) unless the document is rejected. You must
have modification access and the functional security of "Manage Collaboration
Team" to modify the collaboration team definition. The approval process is not
hierarchical; all approvers can access and approve the document simultaneously.
There are no dependencies among approvers.
Once the document has been approved, a Publish button appears to anyone who has
the Publish Negotiations job function. Anyone with this job function can publish the
approved negotiation to suppliers.
Note that throughout the approval process, notifications are sent between the buyer
and the document approvers. Not until the document is approved and published are
notifications sent to suppliers about the document.
Adding Collaboration Members

On the Create Header page, there is an area where a buyer can identify
collaboration members. The buyer and the buyer's manager are automatically
identified as team members. The buyer can search for and select additional
collaboration team members if necessary. For each member, the buyer identifies:
If the member is an approver.
If the member has read-only access.
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If that member has been assigned a task, and if so, when the target date is.
2.1.4.12 How do security levels work?

Buyers creating sourcing documents can control visibility to the document by
specifying a security level during the describe negotiation step. There are three
possible security levels a buyer can select:
Public
The document can be viewed by any other buyers in the buying organization.
Private
The document can be viewed only by the creator, the creator's manager, and
members of the document collaboration team (if any).
Hierarchy
The document can be viewed only by the creator, the creator's manager,
members of the document collaboration team (if any), and the Security
Hierarchy members defined in Oracle Purchasing for that document type.
Security Levels and Collaboration Teams

The use of collaboration teams allows document creators to select a number of
collaborators for the document creation and administration and define flexible
security rules that can apply to each collaborator. For example, some collaborators
can be defined as having read-only access, meaning they can view but not update the
document throughout its lifecycle. Other members can be selected as approvers of
the document. All members identified as approvers must approve the final version
before the document can be published. Also, selected members can be assigned
specific tasks which they must complete.
See How do collaboration teams work? for more information on collaboration teams.
2.1.4.13 What are global agreements, and how do I use them?

Global agreements allow buying organizations to negotiate pricing and define
agreements on behalf of a shared central environment. This is in contrast to a regular
blanket purchase agreement which can exist only within the realm of a single
operating unit. Execution against global agreements can be performed by multiple
local operating units. Global agreements:
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leverage buying power of all organizations within a company by negotiating

and managing global discounts on pricing.
provide a standardized set of goods and services across a company.
achieve timely and accurate reporting information on agreement usage,
supplier performance, and item utilization.
standardization on global terms and conditions with each supplier with
optional flexibility to override at the local level.
Defining Agreement Scope

Sourcing professionals can negotiate prices on behalf of multiple organizations
within an enterprise and then enable the resulting agreement (prices + terms and
conditions) to be shared by those organizations for procuring products and services.
Although the agreement is meant for usage in multiple organizations, the agreement
unambiguously identifies the parties between whom the agreement was originally
crafted. This includes the negotiating organization in the deploying enterprise and
the supplier/supplier site combination which represents the selling party
Managing the agreement

Although the agreement can be used by multiple organizations, all control and
maintenance responsibilities remain within the organization that originally
negotiated the agreement, this includes:
canceling lines
freezing the agreement
putting the agreement on hold
closing the agreement.
The negotiating organization of the agreement should own sole responsibility for
approval of the agreement, and the agreement follows the approval policy for this
organization. All approval submission checks applicable for the blanket purchase
agreement are in effect for the global agreement as well.
Agreement Usage
Like blanket purchase agreements, global agreements have effective start and end
dates, total release amount, and agreement currency. There are certain terms and
conditions which apply globally regardless of where a release is being performed.
These include such terms as FOB terms, freight terms, and attachments. But there
are also terms which will depend on the organization performing a release against
the agreement such as bill-to address.
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2.2 Using Oracle Services Procurement and Oracle Procurement

Contracts
2.2.1 How do I create a deliverable and use it in a negotiation document?

Businesses enter into contractual agreements with their trading partners and, as part
of the contractual agreement, will have commitments to fulfill. The commitments on
the contracts, besides products and services bought or sold, are classified as
deliverables, under the terms and conditions of the contract. In addition to the
contractual commitments that businesses need to fulfill, they might define other
internal tasks that contribute to the overall execution of the contract. If Oracle
Procurement Contracts is implemented, you can create a deliverable and assign it to
a negotiation.
To create a deliverable for a particular negotiation:
1. On the Create Header page, click Contract Terms in navigation bar
in the top left of the page.
2. Search for and apply a contracts template.
3. Click the Deliverables subtab and check that any deliverable already
defined to this template is applicable for your negotiation. You can
update a deliverable if needed or delete it altogether
4. To add a new deliverable, click Add Deliverable.
5. On the Create Deliverable page define your new deliverable. See the
Oracle Procurement Contracts online help for instructions on defining
deliverables.
6. After you have finished defining your deliverable, click Apply. If
there are multiple deliverables to define, you can click Apply and
Create Another. Once the page refreshes, you can define your next
deliverable.
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2.2.2 What kind of services can I negotiate for?

If Oracle Services Procurement is installed and licensed, you can create documents
that negotiate for many different types of services. You can negotiate for:
Rate-based temporary labor such as office clerical work or a database
administrator who charges by unit of time and has higher rates on the
weekend. The charge for this type of service is based on hourly rates per
person.
Fixed-price temporary labor such as contractors, temporary administrators.
There is a fixed amount limit attached to the service. .
Fixed-price services such as corporate accounting services, maintenance
services, or consulting services. The charge for this type of service is based
on a flat amount for the service provided.
2.2.3 How do I define services related lines?

Services related line types allow you to negotiate on labor contracts. For temporary
labor line types, ensure that you choose Blanket Purchase Agreement as the
negotiation outcome for temporary labor line types. Also, make sure you select the
Global Agreement checkbox. General services fixed-price lines use a negotiation
outcome of standard purchase order.
You can include services-related lines with regular amount-based and goods-based
lines.
To define a temporary labor, rate-based line:

1. From the Add Line menu on the Create Lines page, select Online to
continuing entering your line description online, or click Load from
Spreadsheet to upload a previously completed spreadsheet file containing all
the line information
rate-based line type, and click Go.
3. Search and select a job from the Job menu. The Description, Job Details,
Unit of Measure and Category will default according to the Job you select.
4. Enter values in your price fields if necessary.
6. Specify how price differentials are to be used within the negotiation (for
example, is a response to the price differential required)
7. Select the price type (for example, vacation), and specify the differential
associated with this price type.
8. If you need to specify price breaks, click Select Price Break Settings and
ensure it is not set to None.
9. Enter your price breaks including Price Differentials, if appropriate.
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To define a temporary labor, fixed-price line:

fixed-rate line type, and then click Go.
3. Search and select a Job from the Job menu. The Description, Job Details, and
Category will default according to the Job you select.
4. Create attributes as needed to solicit any additional information for this line.
5. Finally, add any notes or attachments to the supplier.
To define a general services fixed-price line

2. On the Lines: Create Line page, make sure you select a general services,
fixed-price line type, and then click Go.
3. Provide the line with a description and select a Category value.
6. Continue defining your negotiation.
2.2.4 What are contract terms and conditions, and how do I use them in my
negotiation?
If Oracle Procurement Contracts is installed and licensed, you can create contract
terms and apply them to your negotiation. You can use contract terms to specify
legal and other requirements for your negotiation. Using contract terms is an easy
way to create and maintain standardized contract text which can be customized as
needed. You need the Contracts Terms Library Administrator responsibility to create
and maintain clauses and contract templates in the Contract Terms Library. You
need the Manage Contract Terms responsibility to create and maintain contract
terms on negotiation documents.
To apply contract terms to your sourcing document:
1. On the Create Negotiation page, click Contract Terms in the navigation bar
at the top left side of the page.
2. On the Create Contract Terms page, search for and select a contract
template from the list of values. See the Oracle Procurement Contracts online
help for information on using contract templates.
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3. Click Apply Template.

4. You can edit the clauses applied by the template as needed. You can add,
delete or modify text. See the Oracle Procurement Contracts online help for
instructions on modifying clauses .
5. Select Validate from the Actions menu to verify the validity of the contract
terms you are defining. If you receive any error messages, you must correct
them and validate again.
6. When you have completed your contract terms, continue by either clicking
Suppliers to define a supplier invitation list, or clicking Review to inspect the
negotiation prior to publishing it.
2.3 Monitoring Negotiations
2.3.1 How do I access negotiations?

The Negotiations Home page is the central point of access for all your negotiations.
From here, you can create and submit new negotiations and continue working on any
draft negotiations you have in progress. You can also monitor the progress of your
open negotiations.
To create a new negotiation:
Click the appropriate link under the Create section of Quick Links. Follow the
instructions in How do I create a new negotiation? to create a new negotiation.
To access a draft negotiation:

You can use draft negotiations to spread out the creation process over several
sessions. You can also use drafts to allow a team of collaborators to all work on the
same negotiation. To access a draft negotiation:
1. Click the "Manage" link under Draft in the Quick Links section of the
2. On the Manage Draft Negotiations page, search for the negotiation you
wish to access.
3. From the Results display, select a negotiation and click the appropriate
button (Edit, Unlock, Review and Submit).
To search for your negotiations in progress:
At any one time, you may have several ongoing negotiations. You can monitor the
progress of these negotiations by clicking the Number link for that negotiation's
entry in the Your Negotiations at a Glance section of the Negotiations Home page.
This takes you to the negotiation summary page for that negotiation.
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Note that the Your Negotiations at a Glance section shows a limited number of
entries based on time remaining. To see the complete list of negotiations you created,
click Full List.
You also search for all open negotiations to which you have access.
2.3.2 How do I monitor the negotiations I have created?

Access the negotiation you wish to monitor. Click the negotiation number to access
the negotiation summary page where you can see information on the negotiation.
From the negotiations summary page, you can either
Select View Response History from the Actions menu and click Go.
Click the Responses number to access the Details page for the negotiation,
and then click View Response History to see information on responses to this
negotiation.
You can also use the Graphical Monitor to view and compare responses to your
negotiation.
2.3.3 How do I respond on behalf of suppliers without Internet access?

Sometimes suppliers cannot place their responses online since they have no online
access. Oracle Sourcing buyers can place surrogate bids on behalf of such suppliers.
Once the buyer has received all the bid/quote information, a surrogate bid can be
entered into the negotiation.
To place a surrogate bid on behalf of a supplier:

1. Sign on to Oracle Sourcing with Sourcing Super User responsibility.
2. From the Negotiations Home page, access the negotiation in which you wish
to bid by clicking its number. Negotiations in which you are participating
appear under Your Negotiations at a Glance. If you do not see your
negotiation, click Full List. Clicking the number of your negotiation takes
you to the negotiation summary page.
3. On the negotiation summary page, select Create Surrogate Quote/Bid from
the Actions menu, and click Go.
4. On the Create Surrogate Bid/Quote: Select Supplier and Contact page,
enter the name or contact of the surrogate supplier in the Supplier field and
click Go.
5. Select a contact for the supplier and click Create Surrogate Bid/Quote.
6. Continue from the Terms and Conditions page with regular a response if
terms and conditions are required.
7. On the Create Bid/Create Quote page, enter the Bid/Quote Received Time. It
is when the buyer receives the offline copy of the response or when the
supplier mails/faxes the response.
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2.3.4 What are Your Negotiations at a Glance?

The Your Negotiations at a Glance feature allows you quick access to all of the open
negotiations in which you are currently participating.
To use Your Negotiations at a Glance:
Under the Your Negotiations at a Glance area of the Negotiations Home
page, identify the negotiation you wish to view. Note that the table displays
only a limited number of entries. To view a complete list of your negotiations,
click Full List.
o To view the information about the negotiation such as item
information, response controls or invitation list, click the negotiation
number link.
o To view information on responses, click the number link in the
Responses column.
o To view messages sent to you from suppliers (if any) click the
number link under the Unread Messages column.
o To view the graphical monitor of a negotiation, click the graph icon
to the right of the negotiation. Select a negotiation item, then click
View Monitor.
Note: The graphical monitor is not available for sealed style negotiations
until they are unlocked. Only buyers can view the graphical monitor in blind
style negotiations. All participants can view the graphical monitor in open
style negotiations.
2.3.5 How do I use the Graphic Monitor to compare competing quotes or bids
for a particular negotiation line?
For any line in your negotiation, you may receive responses from multiple suppliers.
You can easily compare the negotiation attribute values for these competing
responses.
To compare negotiation attribute values for competing responses:
1. From the Negotiations Home page, perform a simple or advanced search to
locate the negotiation whose responses you want to compare.
2. From the Search Results display, select the negotiation and click the Graphic
Monitor icon.
3. Select the line(s) whose responses you wish to inspect and choose the type of
monitor you wish to view - Price/Score by Time or Price by Score.
4. To perform a side-by-side analysis on all responses to the line, select the line
and click Analyze.
5. On the Analyze Line page, select the responses you wish to compare and
click Compare.
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6. The Analyze Line: Compare Quotes/Compare Bids page displays a side-

by-side comparison of the response details for all responses you chose to
compare. If there are any attachments, you can view them by clicking the
icon in the Notes/Attachment row.
Note that there may be two other charts available on the page depending on
how you defined your negotiation attributes. You can display these charts by
clicking the triangular icon labeled Show Chart. These charts compare
different aspects of the responses. Each response is identified by its response
number.
The Price Analysis chart compares the calculated line prices offered by the
responses. If you defined price elements to be included in your price
calculation, the chart will show the total price calculated by combining all
the responses to the price elements. You can pause your cursor over each
section of the bar to see the exact response value to that segment. If you did
not use price elements in your negotiation, there will be only one segment for
each graph with that segment comparing simply the price.
The Attribute Group Scores chart compares competing responses in terms of
attribute group totals.
2.3.6 How do I download the responses I have received?

You can download all the bids and quotes you receive for a negotiation into a
spreadsheet for offline viewing. This is useful if you have received a large number
of responses and want to compare them offline. You can also update the spreadsheet
with your award decisions and then upload it to identify winning responses.
You can download bids whether the negotiation is open or closed.
To download responses:
1. From the Your Negotiations at a Glance section, click the negotiation
number for the negotiation to access the Negotiation Summary page.
2. On the Negotiation Summary page, select Export Quotes/Bids from the
Action menu.
3. On the Export Quotes/Bids to Spreadsheet page, select the type of
spreadsheet you wish to down load. You can use an Excel spreadsheet file or
a text spreadsheet file. If you have never used spreadsheet files before, you
should also download the Instructions file.
4. Save the file to a convenient location.
5. Open the file and complete it according to the directions in the Instruction
file. Save the file.
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6. After you have completed your award decisions, upload your awards into the
system.
2.3.7 How do I analyze the responses I have received?

There are several ways of analyzing the responses you have received for your
negotiation. You can analyze by line or by response (you obtain different
information depending on which type of analysis you perform).You can use
AutoAward to have the system pick the best award. And if there are may lines or
lines with complex attributes, you can also use a spreadsheet to perform your
analysis offline.
To analyze by response:
1. On the negotiations summary page, click Analyze by Bid/Analyze by Quote
from the Actions menu.
2. The Analyze by Bid/Analyze by Quote page shows the response details
from the different suppliers.
3. You can inspect the header attribute values (if any) by selecting multiple
supplier responses and clicking Compare Header Attributes. The Compare
Header Attributes page presents a side-by-side comparison of the attributes.
Note that the partial response icon denotes responses where the response
quantity is lower than the quote/bid quantity for at least one of the lines of
the negotiation, or where the response does not include responses to all
negotiation lines.
To analyze by line:
1. From the negotiation summary page for this negotiation, select Analyze by
Line from the Actions menu and click Go.
2. The Analyze by Line page displays a table with an entry for each line in the
negotiation and important information such as the best quote/bid, as well as
additional information about each line including any backing requisition
information. You can see the number of active bids against each line and the
best quote/bid determined by the system for that line.
o You can select any one entry in the table and click Graph Price or
Analyze. If you select a line and click Graph Price, the resulting
Monitor page shows your responses in a graph :
o If you select a line and click Analyze, the resulting Analyze Line:
page displays additional information about the responses to that line,
including that response's rank. You can click Compare to obtain a
more complete, side-by-side display of all the responses.
To use the AutoAward recommendation
AutoAward is a feature you can use when you need a quick, standard award.
AutoAward uses the ranking capabilities and methods available in Oracle Sourcing
to obtain its best award recommendation. For example, it will use the the price being
offered by the supplier for the most basic way method of ranking responses.
However, AutoAward can also use calculations available from Multi-Weighted
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Scoring negotiations to determine the best overall total cost. You can use
AutoAward to quickly generate a benchmark against which other ranking methods
and scenarios can be compared.
From the negotiation summary page for this negotiation, select View AutoAward.
The AutoAward Recommendation page displays the response(s) that AutoAward
has decided best fit the negotiation requirements.
To download responses via spreadsheet for analysis:

You can use the spreadsheet download feature to perform many tasks offline. As
long as you have not closed the negotiation, you can use the spreadsheet download
feature to export the response information for analysis offline. Once the negotiation
is closed, you can download a spreadsheet with which to make award decisions.
1. On he negotiations summary page, select Analyze by Spreadsheet
from the Actions menu and click Go.
2. On the Analyze by Spreadsheet page, select: which type of files to
download.
3. Click Export.
4. Download and save the file.
5. Open the file up and use the instructions in the readme file (the .htm
file) to process the spreadsheet.
2.3.8 What are price breaks, and how do I use them?

Price breaks allow you to negotiate line prices with your supplier based on
characteristics of your order. For example, you may expect to receive a discount
from your supplier if you buy a large quantity of units, and you may specify several
quantity levels and the prices you are willing to pay at each. Or you may be willing
to pay more per unit if your supplier can ship the order to a special location, or by a
certain deadline.
For each (non-amount-based) line in your negotiation, you can define as many price
breaks as are appropriate. Your suppliers respond to your negotiation specifying
their responses to your price breaks. You can then enter different assumptions into
the system and have it calculate which response is the best.
Example: Assume you are purchasing PC keyboards. You specify 20$ as your start
or base price. You then set up two quantity-based price breaks. The first offers a
price of 19$ per unit if buying more than 100. The second offers a price of $18 a unit
if purchasing over 500. For these price breaks, you receive the responses shown in
the table below.
Your price break Supplier 1's Supplier 2's

Your offered price
level Response Response
1 $20 $19 $19
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100 $19 $18 $17
500 $18 $15 $16
Once you have entered your price break values and your suppliers have responded to
them, you can enter assumptions into the system and it will calculate which response
is the best. For example, given the price break structure defined in the table above, if
you buy 120 PC keyboards, the system will identify Supplier 2 as the best response.
However, if you buy 550 PC keyboards, Supplier 1 is the best response.
Setting Up Price Breaks

You can only define price breaks for documents with an outcome of blanket
purchase agreement. Additionally, you can only define price breaks on goods-based
line items. For each line, you can set break prices for:
A quantity range
A Ship-To Address
An effective time period
Any combination of the above
All price breaks for a single line are either cumulative or non-cumulative. If the
price breaks are cumulative, the break accumulates as the quantity increases. If a
line's price breaks are cumulative, the effective date values are not available for
price break usage.
You can control the ability of your supplier to respond to your price breaks. Click
Select Price Break Settings to access the Create line: Select Price Break Setting
page. You can specify what the supplier's response to the price break should be. You
can allow suppliers to respond with new price breaks of their own as well as edit any
price breaks that you suggest, or your can restrict them to only offering price
responses to the price breaks you define.
To enter price breaks:

1. On the Line:Create Line page, define your negotiation line normally. Be
sure it is not an amount-based line type.
2. Click Select Price Break Setttngs.
3. Select Required to force to supplier to respond to the price breaks you define,
otherwise select optional. If you select None, you will not be able to enter
price breaks. Also select either Cumulate or Non-Cumulative. If you select
Non-Cumulative, you will not be able to negotiate on effective dates.
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4. Define your price breaks. You can set breaks by unit quantity, price, Ship-To
address/organization, and effective dates (available for non-cumulative price
breaks only). For each price break criterion, you can offer a particular target
price. Click Add Another Row to define additional price breaks. You can
define as many price breaks as are needed to fully define your pricing
structure. For example, you could define multiple price breaks based only on
order quantity.
5. Once you have defined all your price breaks, click Apply.
Analyzing Price Breaks

Once you have defined your price break expectations, and your supplier(s) have
responded with quotes, you can have the system evaluate the supplier responses
based on scenario information you enter. For example, you could enter different
order quantities and see which supplier response is the best for a certain quantity.
To analyze price break information:

1. Search for the negotiation you're interested in.
2. On the table of negotiations, click the response number link.
3. On the negotiations summary page, click Analyze by Line from the Actions
menus and click Go.
4. Select the negotiation line, and click Analyze Price Breaks.
5. On the Analyze Line: Analyze Price Breaks page, you can enter different
values in the fields under Enter Assumptions and have the system calculate
the best response based on the values you enter. You can enter values for all
price breaks you defined and the system will calculate which of the responses
is best for the values you entered.

progress?
There may be times when buyers and suppliers need to contact each other directly
for additional information or clarification. Once a negotiation has been published,
participants can communicate with each other by entering into an ongoing
conversation called an online discussion.
Using an online discussion

Once a negotiation is published, you can participate in a online discussion by
clicking the number link under Unread Messages (under "Your Negotiations at a
Glance" for Sourcing Buyers, and "Your Active and Draft Responses" for Sourcing
Suppliers). Clicking the Unread Messages number link takes you to the Online
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Discussion page. You can also initiate an online conversation from the negotiation
summary page.
The Online Discussions page displays all discussions associated with this
negotiation (there can be multiple discussions for a single negotiation). The Subject:
label identifies each discussion. For each discussion, there is an entry for the original
message initiating that discussion as well as all replies to that message. If you have
read and/or replied to a message, then the Status of the message is either Read or
Replied. The newest entries appear at the top of the table .
You can display all discussions associated with this negotiation by clicking Printable
Page, and then print.
To create a new discussion, click New Message. The Create New Message
window opens. In this window you
o select the recipient(s) of the message.
o specify the subject heading for the message.
o enter the full text of the message .
When you have finished entering your message, click Send. A new
discussion thread is created by the system.
To see the text of a message, click the link under the Message column. The
Message window displays the text of the message and other information
such as the time, date, and recipients of the message.
o To reply to the message, click Reply. The Reply to Message window
opens. Enter the text of your response and click Send.
o To print this message, click Print. Fill out the network print box and
click Print.
To reply directly to a message, click Reply. Enter your reply text and click
Send.
Online Conversation Participants Messaging Capabilities

The table below details the rules governing the messaging capabilities of the
negotiation creator and the respondents. Note that the rules vary depending on the
style of negotiation.
Negotiation Creator Can Negotiation Respondents Can

Negotiation Style
Respond to Respond to
Open Negotiation One or more respondents Creator only
Blind Negotiation One or more respondents Creator only
Sealed Negotiation All respondents All respondents
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2.3.10 Can I invite additional suppliers to a negotiation I've already created?

Any user assigned the appropriate function can add suppliers to a negotiation any
time before the negotiation closes.
To add suppliers to a negotiation:
1. Under the Your Negotiations at a Glance section of the Negotiations Home
page, click the negotiation number link for the negotiation to which you wish
to add additional suppliers. If you don't see the negotiation, click Full List.
2. Select Add Invitees from the Actions menu and click Go.
3. On the Invite Additional Suppliers page, follow the instructions to add new
suppliers.
2.3.11 How do I extend a negotiation that is in progress?

You can extend an negotiation beyond its scheduled close date and time only if you
set your response controls to allow manual extension. You cannot manually extend
your negotiation after it has closed. Additionally, you cannot extend an auction after
its first AutoExtension has been triggered.
To manually extend your negotiation:

1. Under the Your Negotiations at a Glance section on the Negotiations Home
page, click the negotiation number for the negotiation you wish to extend. If
your negotiation is not displayed, click Full List.
2. On the negotiation summary page, select the Extend RFQ/Extend Auction
option from the Actions menu and click Go.
3. On the Extend RFQ/Extend Auction page, specify a new close date and
time. You can also enable AutoExtend or modify your AutoExtend settings if
you wish.
4. Click Apply.
5. Enter a new close date and time. Click Apply.
6. A notification will be sent to all participants.
If, when creating this negotiation, you entered an award date, need-by date,
and/or long-term agreement dates, these dates will also be extended by the same
number of days that you extend your negotiation if the dates are scheduled to
occur before your extended close date. For example, if your negotiation
includes a January 15 close date and a January 20 award date, and you extend
that auction for 7 days, your new close date is January 22, and your new award
date is January 27. However, if you extend that auction for only 3 days, your
new close date is January 18, and your award date remains January 20.
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How do I change my auction's AutoExtend settings while the auction is in

progress?
You can initially set your auction's AutoExtend settings while defining bid controls.
However, you can still enable AutoExtend (if not enabled initially) or modify your
initial AutoExtend settings after the auction opens for bidding if you selected "Allow
manual extend when negotiation is open" while setting the bid controls.
If your auction enters AutoExtend mode, you can change the number of times that
the auction can AutoExtend, but you cannot change any other AutoExtend settings.
You cannot enable or modify AutoExtend settings for an auction that is in a preview
period or has closed for bidding.
To change your auction's AutoExtend settings:

1. Under Your Negotiations at a Glance on the Negotiations Home page, click
the number for the negotiation whose AutoExtend values you wish to change.
2. On the negotiation summary page, select the Extend Auction option from the
Actions menu and click Go.
3. On the Extend Auction page, review your current AutoExtend settings (if
any). You can also review and extend your auction's scheduled close date
and time. You can modify the following AutoExtend options:
o Lines you want to AutoExtend (AutoExtend all lines, or only those
that receive bids during the AutoExtend period)
o Number of extensions allowed
o Length of each extension
o Start time of each extension (at the scheduled auction close time, or
upon receipt of a new winning bid).
4. Once you have made your changed, click Apply.
2.3.12 How do I change my auction's AutoExtend settings while the auction is

in progress?
You can initially set your auction's AutoExtend settings while defining bid controls.
However, you can still enable AutoExtend (if not enabled initially) or modify your
initial AutoExtend settings after the auction opens for bidding if you selected "Allow
manual extend when negotiation is open" while setting the bid controls.
If your auction enters AutoExtend mode, you can change the number of times that
the auction can AutoExtend, but you cannot change any other AutoExtend settings.
You cannot enable or modify AutoExtend settings for an auction that is in a preview
period or has closed for bidding.
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To change your auction's AutoExtend settings:

1. Under Your Negotiations at a Glance on the Negotiations Home page, click
the number for the negotiation whose AutoExtend values you wish to change.
2. On the negotiation summary page, select the Extend Auction option from the
3. On the Extend Auction page, review your current AutoExtend settings (if
any). You can also review and extend your auction's scheduled close date
and time. You can modify the following AutoExtend options:
o Lines you want to AutoExtend (AutoExtend all lines, or only those
that receive bids during the AutoExtend period)
o Number of extensions allowed
o Length of each extension
o Start time of each extension (at the scheduled auction close time, or
upon receipt of a new winning bid)
4. Once you have made your changed, click Apply.
2.3.13 What is shortlisting and how do I use it?

Shortlisting is a way to divide suppliers who have provided responses to a
negotiation into two groups after response analysis. The first group consists of
suppliers whose responses fall within an acceptable range and can be considered
candidates for awards. The second group includes suppliers whose responses are
unacceptable and whose further responses will be ignored for awards. All suppliers
who participated in your negotiation are initially included in the shortlist.You must
remove the supplier from the list by changing its status.
For example, after the analysis of a first round of responding in a multi-round
negotiation, you may wish to eliminate certain suppliers whose offers were not
acceptable. You do this by removing these suppliers from the short list.
Note: Once the negotiation is closed, and you are making your award decisions, you
will see all the responses from the last round. If you choose to shortlist any suppliers,
you will not be able to award them any business. Their response information is
displayed only for comparison and analysis.
To change a supplier's shortlist status:

1. On the Negotiations Home page, search for and select the negotiation.
2. Close the negotiation if it is not already closed.
3. On the negotiation summary page, select Award by Quote/Award by Bid
from the Actions menu, and click Go.
4. On the Award by Quote/Award by Bid page, select the suppliers and click
Change Shortlist Status. Responses from these suppliers are no longer
considered as viable for award decisions.
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Note: If you choose to download your responses into a spreadsheet and make your
award decisions there, you have the option of downloading only responses from
shortlisted suppliers.
2.3.14 How do I initiate a new round of responding?

After your RFI, RFQ, or auction has closed, you can initiate a new round of
responding if you set the controls to allow multiple rounds of responses (RFQs
always permit multiple rounds of quoting).
After you initiate a new round of responding, none of the previous responses
submitted are available for awarding.
To initiate a new round of responding:

You can only initiate a new round of responding after the current round has closed.
You must either wait until the negotiation reaches its close date and time, or you
must manually close it early.
After the RFI, RFQ, or auction has closed, you can initiate a new round of
responding from the negotiations summary page:
1. On the Negotiations Home page, select a negotiation by clicking its Number
link under the Your Negotiations at a Glance section. If the negotiation
you're looking for is not displayed under Your Negotiations at a Glance,
click the Full List button to see a display of all your published negotiations.
You can also enter search values in the Search Negotiations fields to search
for a negotiation. From the Results: Negotiations display, click the Number
link for the negotiation you wish to see.
2. .Select Start New Round from the Actions menu and click Go.
3. On the Create New Round: Header page, update your negotiation's header
details as appropriate (*indicates a field that must be entered prior to the new
responding round).
Possible Description Modifications
*Title/Style
You can give your negotiation a new name and change
the negotiation style.
Security Level
You can change the level of security on the
negotiation.
Possible Collaboration Team Changes
You can change the makeup of the collaboration team
working on this negotiation. You can add new
members and/or delete existing members. You can
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update members' approval status, view only status, and

task assignments.
Possible Terms Changes
You can change the Bill-To, Ship-To, FOB, Payment
Terms, Carrier, and Freight Terms.
Possible Negotiation Currency Changes
If this is a multi-currency negotiation, and you
originally chose to base exchange rates on a set of
company exchange rates for a particular date, you can
change the date to reflect more current rates.
You can change any leader level existing notes and/or
attachments
4. Click Lines to modify information about your negotiation lines on the Lines:
Create Line page. When you are finished making line changes, click Apply
to return to the Create New Round page. You can make the following line
changes:
Response Ranking
You can choose to have the response evaluation based solely
on price, or you can also identify other important attributes for
your negotiation items and define weighting values to indicate
their relative importance. The system can then include that
information when calculating the quote/bid value.
Rank Indicator
You can change the type of display used to show response
rankings. For example, you might have turned the ranking off
during your previous round because you only wanted to
gather information about potential trading partners but did not
wish to rank them yet. Beginning with subsequent rounds,
however, you might wish to start the actual ranking process.
Line Changes
You can modify the lines included in the negotiation.
You can delete old lines, modify attributes of existing
lines, or add new lines (note that suppliers will have to
enter responses to any new or updated lines). Note,
however, that if this is a multi-currency negotiation,
you cannot add amount-based lines. You can also use
the spreadsheet upload functionality to update
negotiation lines.
If you are implementing Multi-Attribute Weighted
Scoring for this round of negotiation, you will need to
define scoring and weighting information for the
appropriate attributes. If you used Multi-Attribute
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Weighted Scoring in previous rounds, the scoring and

weighting information from the last round is carried
over to the new round. But if you add any new lines to
the new round, you may need to define new scoring
and weighting values for that line's attributes.
If you defined price breaks for the previous round of
this negotiation, you can modify the price break
definitions.
5. Click Controls to modify negotiation control information.
o Possible Date Modifications
*Open Date
Date and time you want the new round of responding to begin.
You can also choose to open the negotiation immediately.
Preview Date
For RFIs, RFQs or auctions opening in the future, you can
enter the date and time (prior to the open date and time) the
negotiation is available for previewing by all eligible
participants. You can also choose to open the negotiation for
preview immediately.
*Close Date
The new date and time the RFI, RFQ, or auction closes. Note
that you have to specify a new closing date.
Award Date (RFQs and auctions only)
You can choose to enter a new award date/time if this differs
from the timing in the previous round of negotiation.
o Response Controls
Modify other Response Controls as necessary.
6. Click Suppliers to modify your invitation list.
o Possible Invitation List Changes
If you invited suppliers in the previous round, they are
automatically added to the invitation list for the new round.
Additionally, any uninvited suppliers who responded in the
previous round are also automatically added to the invitation
list for the new round. You can remove any supplier from the
invitation list for the new round.
You can also add new suppliers.
7. Click Review. Review your updated negotiation information. If there are
approvers defined for this document, click Submit for Approval. If there are
no approvers defined for this document, click Publish.
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2.3.15 How do I close a negotiation before its scheduled close date and time?
You can close a negotiation early only if you set your response controls to allow a
manual close. Note that you cannot manually close an auction after its first
AutoExtension has been triggered.
To close your negotiation early:
page, click the negotiation number for the negotiation you wish to close.
2. On the negotiation summary page, select the Close Early option from the
3. On the Close Early page, enter the new date and time you want to close the
negotiation or choose to close it immediately.
4. If desired, enter a note to your suppliers. This note is included in the
notification that will be sent.
5. Click Apply.
2.3.16 How do I cancel a negotiation?

Sometimes, the responses to your negotiation do not meet your needs. For example,
there may have been too few responses, or the terms of the responses are not
acceptable. Also the line requirements have changed, or the items are no longer
needed. In any of these cases, you may wish to simply cancel the negotiation.
page, click the negotiation number for the negotiation you wish to cancel. If
you do not see the negotiation, click Full List.
2. On the negotiation summary page, select the Cancel RFQ/Cancel Auction
option from the Actions menu and click Go.
3. On the Cancel page, you can enter a text note to participants explaining why
you are canceling the negotiation.
4. Click Apply. The system notifies all the invitees and participants of the
cancellation.
2.3.17 How do I create an amendment to a negotiation?

After publishing a negotiation, the buyer can update information defined in the
document if necessary. This update is called an amendment. Respondents are
notified that the sourcing document has been amended and are required to review
their previous response and resubmit it in accordance with the amendment.
Amendments can be created anytime after the preview date/time (or open date/time,
if no preview date/time was specified) and before the close date/time.
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To create an amendment to a sourcing document:

1. On the negotiations summary page, select Create Amendment from the
Actions menu. You go to the Create Header page. Notice that the
negotiation number has now been given a suffix, for example, 12345,1.. This
suffix is incremented every time you create a new amendment for this
document.
2. On the Create Amendment Header page, you must enter a new Description
for the amendment and make any other header level attribute changes you
need.
3. On the Create Amendment: Lines page, enter any line changes, additions,
deletions, or updates to line information if necessary.
4. Change the negotiation rules on the Create Amendment: Controls page if
necessary.
5. If Oracle Procurement Contracts is implemented, and there are clauses and
deliverables defined to this negotiation, these can be changed on the Create
Amendment: Contract Terms page.
6. You cannot add or delete suppliers on the Create Amendment Suppliers
page during an amendment. To invite new suppliers, use the active
negotiation's negotiation summary page.
7. You can review the new changes compared to the current active negotiation
by clicking Review.
8. If you have approvers identified on the Collaboration Team on the Create
Header page, you can submit the amendment for approval by clicking Submit
for Approval on the review page. Approvers will receive notification that
they need to approve the amendment. Once approved (or if approval is not
required), the Submit button changes to Publish. Once you click Publish, no
new responses can be received on the previous negotiation. All suppliers will
be required to acknowledge the amendment and resubmit their responses to
be eligible for award.
You can save the amendment as a draft at anytime during the creation process if you
click Save Draft. Draft amendments are available on the Negotiations Home page if
you click Drafts in the Manage Quick Links section.
2.3.18 How do I print information on my negotiation?

Much business communication today is carried and managed offline. Government
organizations in particular present solicitation packages according to a unified
format. Buyers need the capability to download and print a negotiation for offline
review. Responders should be able to complete negotiation documents and return the
results by FAX, mail or email.
The printed version of the negotiation is appropriate for public display since it
excludes all internal data such as internal attributes, current prices, or names of
invited suppliers. The printed version also does not include any price elements
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defined to the negotiation. If Oracle Procurement Contracts is implemented and the

sourcing document has contract terms attached to it, the clauses and deliverables are
printed as well.
To print a negotiation (for buyers):

1. On the Negotiations Homepage, search for the negotiation you wish to print.
Access the negotiation by clicking its negotiation link. These negotiations are
listed under the Your Negotiations at a Glance section. If you cannot see all
your negotiations, click Full List.
2. On the negotiation summary page, select Print Document from the Actions
menu
3. When the prompt box appears, open and inspect the print directly, or save it
to a location on your machine and review the document there.
To print a negotiation (for suppliers):

1. On the Negotiations Homepage, search for the negotiation you wish to print
by clicking the Negotiation Number link.
menu.
to a location on your machine and review the document there
To print contract terms only:

1. On the Negotiations Home page, search for the negotiation for which you
wish to print the contract terms by clicking the negotiation number link.
2. Click the Contract Terms link in the navigation bar.
3. Click Preview Contract Terms.
4. When the prompt box appears, open and inspect the print directly or save it
to a location and review the document locally.
2.3.19 How do I view the approval history for my negotiation?

If you selected the "Require award approval" negotiation control, your award
decision must be approved before you can begin to create a purchasing document.
Once you have submitted your negotiation's award decision, you can view the
approval status of your negotiation. You can view the approval history at any point,
but there will only be data displayed after the recommendation has been submittted.
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To view the approval status of a negotiation:

1. Navigate to the summary page for the negotiation
2. Select View Award Approval History from the Actions menu.
The Award Approval History page shows who has approved your award
recommendation and the approvals remaining in the approval chain.
2.3.20 How do I manage deliverables I have assigned to a negotiation?
Deliverables are additional requirements which must be provided by a supplier as
part of the negotiation process. For example, a buyer may ask a supplier to provide
copies of personnel certification, a detailed project plan, or delivery schedule before
the buyer will consider finalizing a contract with that supplier. If Oracle
Procurement Contracts is installed and licensed, you can create and manage
deliverables for your negotiations.
At any point in time, you may have many negotiations in progress, some of which
will require deliverables. You can easily view the status of all your deliverables.
This allows you to quickly pinpoint any negotiations that are at risk because a
deliverable has not been provided.
To view and update your deliverables:
1. Click "Deliverables" under Manage in the Quick Links section of the
2. On the Manage Deliverables page, enter enough search values to restrict the
results to the deliverable(s) in which you are interested.
3. When results are displayed, scroll if necessary to find your deliverable.
o To see information on the deliverable, click the entry in the
Deliverable Name column.
o To see information on the negotiation to which the deliverable is
assigned, click the entry in the Document Number column.
o See the Alert column for important information on the deliverable's
status.
4. To update the information on a deliverable, click the Update icon. On the
Update Deliverable page, you can perform the following modifications
(note that changes to the deliverable status are tracked and can be displayed):
o Change the deliverable status.
o Modify or delete an existing attachment, or add a new attachment.
5. When you are finished updating the deliverable information, click Apply.
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2.4 Awarding Negotiations
2.4.1 How do I view the responses I have received?

1. From the Your Negotiations at a Glance section of the Negotiations Home
page, click the negotiation number link of the negotiation you wish to see.
2. On the negotiations summary page, select View Quote/Bid History from the
3. The Quote/Bid History page displays the responses the negotiation has
received. There is an entry for each supplier who has placed a quote/bid in
the negotiation.
4. To see details about a particular response, click the number link in the
Quote/Bid column. The resulting page shows details about the response.
2.4.2 How do I unlock and unseal a sealed RFQ or auction?

In a sealed RFQ or auction the buyer cannot see the bids until the RFQ/auction is
unlocked. In addition, respondents in the RFQ or auction cannot see other
quotes/bids until the buyer also unseals the RFQ/auction (although the identity of
other suppliers is revealed to the suppliers in an auction). An RFQ/auction can only
be unlocked and unsealed after it is closed. Additionally, an RFQ/auction cannot be
awarded until it is unlocked.
Note: You will always be able to unlock and unseal an RFQ/auction you have
created. In addition, other users from your company who have the appropriate
function security can also unlock and unseal your RFQ/auction.
To unlock and unseal an RFQ/auction:
1. Close the negotiation if it is still open.
2. On the negotiation summary page, select Unlock from the Actions menu and click
Go.
3. On the Confirmation page, click "Return to Negotiation Summary."
4. Select Unseal from the Actions menu and click Go.
2.4.3 What are the different methods I can use when performing awards?
Once you have closed your negotiation and analyzed the responses you received,
you can make your award decisions. There are several methods you can use when
awarding business in a buyer's auction or RFQ:
You can award the entire negotiation to a single supplier (multiple suppliers
if the outcome is a blanket purchase agreement),
You can award an individual line to a single supplier.
You can divide an individual line among multiple suppliers.
You can accept and use the decisions generated by the AutoAward feature.
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You can download the responses into a spreadsheet, enter award information,
and upload the spreadsheet back to the system.
Awarding an entire negotiation to a single supplier
You can easily award all the lines of a negotiation to a single supplier by selecting
Award by Quote/Award by Bid from the Actions menu on the negotiation summary
page. Awarding at the quote/bid level allows you to quickly enter your award
specifications since you do not have to enter an explicit award decision for each line.
All the lines on which the supplier quoted/bid are awarded to that supplier. Any lines
the supplier did not quote/bid on are not awarded.
Awarding an Individual Line to a Single Supplier

You can award all the business for a negotiation line to single supplier by selecting
Award by Line from the Actions menu on the negotiation summary page. If the
supplier offered only a partial quote/bid, the supplier is awarded as many units as
were quoted/bid. The remaining units remain unawarded.
Dividing a negotiation line among multiple suppliers

If necessary, you can split a line between multiple suppliers. This happens often
when none of the responses to a particular line offers to sell the entire quote/bid
quantity asked for. For example, if you are looking to buy 100 monitors, and
supplier A offers to sell 75 monitors for $600 each, but supplier B offers to sell 60
monitors for $500 each, you might wish to award supplier B the first 60 monitors
and award the remaining 40 to supplier A.
Using the AutoAward feature

The AutoAward feature analyzes all the responses from suppliers who participated
in the negotiation and generates award decisions based on the details of those
responses. AutoAward decisions are based on the response ranking generated by the
system.. While on the negotiation summary page, you can select View AutoAward
from the Actions menu to see the award decisions made by AutoAward. On the
AutoAward Recommendation page, you can see the information on AutoAward's
decision. To see detailed information about AutoAward's decision (such as the
winning responses picked by AutoAward and the quantity awarded to each), click
"Show" in the Details column. You can use the AutoAward's decisions by clicking
Accept Recommendation, the award decisions are saved as a draft and can be
reviewed in the Award Summary page.
Using spreadsheet download

If your negotiation has many lines or complex lines having many attributes or price
elements, you may wish to download the responses you received to a spreadsheet
file and save it locally. You can then access this file and review the responses offline.
After you have made your award decisions, you enter this information into the
spreadsheet and upload it back to the system.
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2.4.4 How do I award business in an RFQ or auction?

There are several ways you can award business for a negotiation. You can enter
award decisions at the supplier level or the line level. You can award the entire
negotiation to a single supplier, award multiple lines to the same supplier, or award
each line its own supplier. This provides flexibility and allows you to quickly enter
award decisions.
Note: The auction or RFQ must be closed for responses before you can award
business. You can wait until the negotiation reaches its specified close date/time, or,
if the negotiation controls allow it, you can manually close the negotiation prior to
its specified close date/time. You cannot initiate a new round of quoting/bidding on
this RFQ or auction once you have closed the negotiation and submitted an award
decision.
1. Access the negotiation you wish to award.
2. On the negotiations summary page, you see the information on the
negotiation and any responses it has received
3. Once the negotiation is closed, you can begin awarding business. From the
Action menu, select Award by Quote/Award by Bid to award an entire
negotiation or multiple lines of a negotiation to the same supplier. Select
Award by Line to award each line to its own supplier. Or select Award by
Spreadsheet to download the responses to a spreadsheet file and enter your
award decisions there. Once you have selected the action, click Go.
To award an entire negotiation to a supplier:

1. On the Award by Quote/Award by Bid page, you see all the suppliers who
responded to your negotiation. To award the entire negotiation to one
supplier, select the supplier and click Award. Note that you can select
multiple suppliers on this page. Note also that you can change the shortlist
status of a supplier on this page as well.
1. On the Award Quote/Award Bid page, you see the response information for
the supplier(s) you selected in the previous step. If you selected multiple
suppliers, their responses are displayed side by side for easy comparison.
2. Click Award to identify the supplier to whom you are awarding the
negotiation.
3. Click Save Award. All lines to which the supplier responded are awarded to
that supplier. Any lines to which the supplier did not respond are not
awarded.
To award multiple lines to a supplier:

1. On the Award by Quote/Award by Bid page, select the supplier(s) to whom
you wish to award the negotiation lines and click Award Multiple Lines.
2. On the Award Multiple Lines page, you see the response information on the
supplier(s) you selected in the previous step. You also see entries for every
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line in the negotiation. For each line, select the radio button for the supplier
to whom you wish to award that line.
3. Click Save Award
To award a single line to a supplier:

1. On the Award by Line page, select the line you wish to award and click
Award.
2. On the Award Line page, you see all the suppliers that responded to this line.
Select the supplier(s) to whom you wish to award this line and enter the
number of units to be awarded in the Award Quantity field. Note the
following:
o If you select multiple suppliers for this line, you can split the award
by entering a value in the Award Quantity for each supplier.
o For quantity-based line types, you cannot award more units than
specified in the negotiation quantity, but you can award less. For
amount-based line types, the award simply identifies the supplier
from whom business will be awarded in the future .
o You do not have to award a line. You can choose to leave it
unawarded.
o Once a line has been totally awarded, an awarded chekmark appears
for the line.
3. Once you have selected the suppliers and specified the number of units to be
awarded to each, click Save Award.
4. Click "Award by Line" to return to the Award by Line page.
5. Select the next line to be awarded and click Award.
6. Follow the instructions in Step 2 and Step 3 above to enter that line's award
decision
7. Continue until all lines have been awarded.
To award using a spreadsheet:

If you wish to download the responses for a negotiation, select Award by
Spreadsheet from the Actions menu. You can then save the responses as a
spreadsheet file and view the instructions in the readme file contained in he zip to
review offline to make your award decisions. If you have removed any suppliers
from the shortlist, you can choose to download only the responses from the
remaining shortlisted suppliers.
2.4.5 How do I download the responses I have received?

You can download all the bids and quotes you receive for a negotiation into a
spreadsheet for offline viewing. This is useful if you have received a large number
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of responses and want to compare them offline. You can also update the spreadsheet
with your award decisions and then upload it to identify winning responses.
You can download bids whether the negotiation is open or closed.
To download responses:
1. From the Your Negotiations at a Glance section, click the negotiation
number for the negotiation to access the Negotiation Summary page.
2. On the Negotiation Summary page, select Export Quotes/Bids from the
Action menu.
3. On the Export Quotes/Bids to Spreadsheet page, select the type of
spreadsheet you wish to down load. You can use an Excel spreadsheet file or
a text spreadsheet file. If you have never used spreadsheet files before, you
should also download the Instructions file.
4. Save the file to a convenient location.
5. Open the file and complete it according to the directions in the Instruction
file. Save the file.
6. After you have completed your award decisions, upload your awards into the
system.
2.4.6 How do I manually score header attributes?

Using header attributes, you can manually score the responses you receive for a
negotiation. Using subjective scoring, you first define the header attributes including
weights and maximum scores during the creation of the negotiation. During this
process, you can also specify whether the supplier can see the scoring criteria. Once
a response is received, you can enter a subjective score for the header attributes. The
system will calculate a weighted score based on the score value you entered for each
attribute.
How is a response's score calculated?

There are two ways to define header attributes depending on how you wish scores
for the response to be calculated. You can enter straight scores for an attribute, or
you can enter scores and have the system use the score you entered along with the
attribute's weight to calculate the score for that attribute.
To enter straight scores, you enter a number (up to the defined maximum) for each
attribute score. These attribute scores are then added up and the total is the total
score for that response. With this method, weighting is implied in the maximum
score for each attribute.
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To use weighting, you enter a number (up to the defined maximum) for each score.
The system divides the number you entered by the maximum and multiplies the
result by the weight for the attribute. The system then adds the weighted scores to
product the total score for the response.
To enter a score
1. From the negotiation summary page, close the negotiation if it is not already.
2. Select Award by Quote/Award by Bid from the Actions menu.
3. On the Award by Quote/Award by Bid page, click the number link under
the Score column (Note that you can also enter scores on the View Quote/View
Bid page.)
4. On the Enter Scores page, you see the value the supplier provided for this
attribute.
5. For each attribute, enter a score between zero and the maximum score for
that attribute. You cannot score display only attributes. Internal attributes
will not have a response from the supplier as the supplier will not see the
attribute.
6. Click Apply.
7. Click the link to return to the Award by Quote/Bid page.
8. Continue scoring remaining supplier responses. Once you have finished, the
system adds all the scores for all header attributes and the sum is the score
value for this quote/bid. You use this value, among others, when making your
award decision.
2.4.7 How do I use a spreadsheet to award negotiation items?

See How do I download the responses I have received? for instructions on
downloading a spreadsheet containing details on your negotiation responses and
instructions on using the spreadsheet.
To indicate your award decisions, update the Award Quantity column for each
negotiation line item that received responses. Also update the Award column to Yes .
You can divide the items between multiple responses or award the entire quantity to
a single response. You can also choose to not award any items if the responses were
unacceptable. And you do not have to enter award quantities for amount-based line
types
Once you have completed entering your award information, save the file and
continue with the upload process.
1. Once the negotiation is closed, return to the negotiation summary page and
select Award by S[readsheet from the Actions menu.
2. Click Import Awards.
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3. On the Load Awarded Item(s) From Spreadsheet page, navigate to the

location of the spreadsheet file.
4. Click Import.
5. The system will validate the information and prompt you to correct any
wrong entries.
Since you used a spreadsheet to award your negotiation lines, you probably have no
additional lines left to award using the Award by Item page. However, if you have
remaining lines to award, you can still modify information in your spreadsheet to
upload additional award decisions. Or you can use the instructions in How do I
award business in an RFQ or auction? to award the remaining lines.
2.4.8 How do I allocate backing requisitions among awarded items?

If you used AutoCreate to generate a sourcing negotiation, there are backing
requisition(s) associated with items you finally awarding. When you create the
resulting purchase order dealing with the awarded items, you can specify how the
items on these backing requisitions are consumed by the awarded items. Any
unconsumed requisition demand is returned to the requisition pool.
For example, assume you have two requisitions for PC keyboards for a total of 75
keyboards. You AutoCreate these into a buyer's auction.
Requisition Number Item Quantity
12345 50 keyboards
98762 25 keyboards
You receive two bids as follows on the auction item:
Bidder Bid Quantity
Office Supplies 30
Your PCs 30
You have received bids for 60 of the requested 75 keyboards. You want to allocate
the awarded items in such a way that one of the requisitions is fully consumed and
the other is partially consumed (any remaining unconsumed demand is returned to
the requisition pool available to AutoCreate.
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Default Allocation
The system generates a default allocation to consume requisitions as efficiently as
possible. The bid with the earliest promise date will consume as many of the
requisition quantity as possible. Once the awarded bid with the lowest price has
finished consuming requisitions items, any other awarded bid quantities are
allocated across the requisition quantities until all awarded bids have consumed as
much of the requisition demand as possible.
On Requisition
Bidder Bid Quantity Consumed Quantity
Number
Office Supplies 30 30 12345
Your PCs 30 20 12345
10 98762
Notes: Bidder Office Supplies is awarded all 30 units and the award is applied
against requisition 12345. The remaining bidder, Your PCs, is awarded 30 units as
well: 20 units are applied against the remaining units for requisition 12345, and 10
units are applied against requisition 97862. Note that this leaves requisition 98762
with 15 units of unsatisfied demand. The 15 unconsumed units are returned to the
requisition pool and are available for participation in any future AutoCreated
negotiations.
To enter allocations
1. After you have made your award decisions and picked your winning bids,
click Complete Award.
2. On the Complete Award page, click Continue to begin purchase order
creation.
3. On the Review and Submit page, click Submit.
4. On the Complete Award Confirmation page, click "Continue Purchase
Order creation process."
5. The Allocate page shows you the awarded items with backing requisitions
that have been allocated.
6. For each awarded line item, you can select the item and enter allocation
values by clicking Enter Allocations.
7. On the Enter Allocations page, you will see the system default allocations
as described above.
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8. Modify the allocation values as needed and click Submit.

Note: You cannot allocate more units than you have awarded. You can
allocate fewer units than you awarded a particular bidder, but you cannot
allocate more units than you awarded that bidder. You cannot allocate more
than the requisition quantity of each requisition.
9. Once you are returned to the Allocate page, continue allocating any
remaining awarded items.
10. After you have allocated all the items you awarded, click "Create Purchase
Order" and continue with the purchase creation order process.
2.4.9 How do I disqualify responses I receive for an RFI, RFQ, or auction?

You may receive responses on your RFIs, RFQs or auctions that you wish to
disqualify, perhaps because the responses do not meet your target prices, dates,
locations, or other criteria.
When you disqualify a response, you are disqualifying an entire response not an
individual line in the response.
To disqualify a response:
1. Click the negotiation number under Your Negotiations at a Glance section to
access the Negotiation Summary page. Alternatively, use the Search
Negotiations fields to list all negotiations. On the Results: Negotiations
page, click the negotiation number to access the Negotiation Summary page.
2. On the Negotiation Summary page, select View Bid History from the
Action menu and click Go.
3. On the Quote/Bid History page ensure you are viewing the Bid Summary
view.
4. Select the response you want to disqualify. Click Disqualify Bid or
Disqualify Quote.
5. On the Disqualify page, enter a text note to the participant to explain why
you are disqualifying the response. Click Done.
6. The participant will be notified that the response has been disqualified and
will have the opportunity to submit another response if the negotiation is still
open. All other participants are also notified of the disqualification.
2.4.10 What information is contained on the Award Summary page?

The Award Summary page displays the complete award recommendations for a
negotiation and provides a central location where sourcing team members and award
approvers can view the award recommendations that have been made for a
negotiation. The Award Summary page provides two different views of a
negotiation's award information: the Supplier view and the Line view. Each view
consists of a summary and a detail display allowing approvers and other sourcing
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team members to drill down and view low-level information about each negotiation
line. The Supplier view displays award recommendations in terms of all the
suppliers who participated in the negotiation. The Line view displays the award
recommendations in terms of the lines that comprised the negotiation. Award
approvers can use the information in the Award Summary page when deciding
whether or not to approve the award recommendations.
The Supplier View

The Supplier View displays information on each supplier who participated in the
negotiation. Among other details, the Supplier Summary View contains:
Quote/Bid total (Standard Purchase Order only)
The total amount offered by the supplier on all line s
Award Total (Standard Purchase Order only)
The total amount of business awarded this supplier.
Score
Total score for header level attributes.
Total Agreement Amount (Blanket Purchase Agreement only)
The Line View

The Line Summary display shows line information, including:
Awarded Quantity
The number of units currently awarded this negotiation line.
Remaining Quantity
Number of units left for awarding
Current Value
Current price * awarded quantity
Award Amount
Response price * awarded quantity
Saving Amount
Award amount - current value
Saving Percent
Savings versus current amount expressed as a percentage.
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To display the Award Summary page:

To use the Award Summary page, you must have closed the negotiation and made
some award decisions.
1. Locate the negotiation whose business you have awarded (note that from the
Negotiations Home page, you can do an advanced search looking for
negotiations with a status of Award).
2. Click the link in the Number column for the negotiation.
3. On the negotiation summary page, select Award Summary from the Actions
menu and click Go.
4. On the Award Summary page, you can use the subtabs to toggle between
the Supplier and the Line views. For each entry in the table, there is a
triangular +/- icon in the Details column. Use this icon to show or hide the
detail information for that entry.
2.4.11 Can I see information on my negotiations once I have completed

awarding them?
In many situations, it can be helpful to review award decisions you have made in the
past. This information is stored and can be viewed even after you have closed,
awarded and completed the negotiation. To see prior award information:
1. Use the Search Negotiations fields at the top of the Negotiations Home page
to perform an Advanced Search.
2. On the Negotiations Search page, select one of the following Status values
and click Go.
o Closed
Negotiations which have been closed. These negotiations could be
taken to a subsequent round of responding or could have their award
process initiated.
o Award
Negotiations for which the award process is either still in progress
(there are still outstanding items to be awarded) of completed (there
are no outstanding items to be awarded).
o Completed
The award process is completed and a purchase order has been
requested or a purchase order has not been requested.
o Create Order
Negotiations for which the allocation process is in progress or for
which the purchase order creation process has been initiated.
3. From the list of search results, click the number link for the negotiation to
see the details.
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2.4.12 How do I generate a purchase order document?

Once you have saved your award decisions, you return to the negotiation summary
page to complete the award process and generate a purchase order document.
To complete the award process:

1. On the award Confirmation page, click the link to return to the negotiation
summary page.
2. Select Complete Award from the Actions menu and click Go.
3. On the Complete Award page, you can choose whether or not to create a
purchase order document. You can also choose whether to immediately
notify the winning suppliers of their awards (your purchase order document
may need to go through an approval process, so you may wish not to notify
suppliers until a later date when the purchase document is fully approved).
4. On the Review and Submit Complete Award page, click Submit if you
wish to complete the award process.
5. The Confirmation page informs you that the award is complete.
To generate a purchase order document:

1. On the Confirmation page, click Create Purchase Order to access the
Create Purchase Order page (note that you can also access this page by
selecting Create Purchase Order from the Actions menu).
2. On the Create Purchase Order page, you can obtain information on the
supplier to whom you awarded business. You can see you award information
by clicking the link under the Details column (or by clicking "Show All
Details").
3. Choose an Acceptance Level from the drop-down menu. If Oracle
Procurement Contracts is installed and licensed, you can use an Acceptance
Level value of Document and Signature to perform contract binding. See
What is contract binding? for more information.
4. If you have an approval procedure set up in Oracle Purchasing, click Initiate
Approval to begin approval for this purchasing document.
5. In you are creating a blanket purchasing agreement, specify the start and end
effective dates.
6. Click Submit.
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2.4.13 What is contract binding?

If Oracle Procurement Contracts is implemented, contract binding provides the
ability to require both the supplier and the buyer to sign off on the details of a
purchase order before it can be executed. When you are creating the purchase order
document, you can require that the supplier sign and accept the document. A
notification is sent to the supplier requesting a signature to indicate acceptance after
the purchase order is approved by any internal approvers. If the supplier accepts the
document, you are sent a notification requesting your acceptance as well. Once both
you and the supplier have accepted the purchase document, it is ready for execution.
Once the negotiation is closed for responses, you can award business to selected
suppliers and subsequently initiate the purchase order/contract creation. You can
optionally indicate whether acceptance is required for the resulting purchase order
document. If you require acceptance, you have the choice of four levels:
None
No acceptance is required.
Document Only
Suppliers are required to accept the entire document. Suppliers can use iSupplier
Portal to accept the document or can request that you enter acceptance on their
behalf.
Document and Signature
You and the supplier must sign the document to indicate acceptance. This option
uses Workflow notifications to obtain signatures online.
Document or Shipment
Supplier can accept the document or individual lines.
2.5 Searching
2.5.1 How do I search for information on Oracle Sourcing?
There are many times when using Oracle Sourcing that you need to search for
information. Some examples include searching for negotiations in which to
participate, or finding reusable invitation lists to apply when creating a negotiation.
To save time and perform accurate searches, use the search tips below.
Searches are conducted using a search criteria and one of that criteria's search value.
In most cases when specifying a search value, you can use the wild card (%) as
necessary
The search process varies depending on what you are searching for.
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2.5.1.1 Searching for your negotiations in which you are participating:

At any point in time, you may have several negotiations that are in different
states. One may still be in its preview period, another open and being
responded to, and a last closed and being awarded. A common task is
monitoring and administering all these different negotiations. All these
negotiations can be viewed and accessed from the Your Negotiations at a
Glance section of the Negotiations Home page.
The Your Negotiations at a Glance display shows all negotiations you
created in order of time left before their close date/time. Note that the display
shows only a limited number of negotiations. To see the complete list of
negotiations you created, click Full List.
From the Your Negotiations at a Glance display, you can click the
negotiation number link to go to the negotiation summary page to see details
of the negotiation. You can click the responses link to go to the History page
where you can see the details of any responses.
2.5.1.2 Searching for all negotiations to which you have access:

In addition to the negotiations you own, you may have access to negotiations
owned and created by other buyers either because you collaborated on that
negotiation or because the negotiation is public. There are several criteria
you can use when performing a search to restrict the number of search results.
These include number, title, item, item category, event, creator, or supplier.
To perform a search, enter a value for the search criteria in the Search
Negotiations fields at the top of the Negotiations Home page.
You can select one of two search methods: simple and advanced.
When using the simple search method, you select one of the criteria
mentioned above from the drop down menu, supply a search value, and click
Go.
When using the advanced search, you enter search values for multiple search
fields. These include those mentioned above as well as type, status, security
level, style, project number, and task number. You can use any combination
of these search criteria to reduce the number of results you receive.
1. To perform a simple search, on the Negotiations Home page, select
the type of search from the "Search Negotiations" menu, specify a
search value and click Go.
To perform an advanced search, click Advanced Search. Enter search
values for as many search fields needed to qualify your search. For
some fields you select menu options. For others you enter values.
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When entering values, you can use % as a wildcard. When you are
finished, click Go.
2. Scroll through the Results: Negotiations display until you find the
correct negotiation. Click the Number link to go to the negotiation
summary page where you can see information on the negotiation.
Click "Responses" to go to the negotiation History page where you
can see information on current responses.
2.5.1.3 Searching for draft negotiations

You can have draft negotiations which you and/or a group of collaborators
are preparing for submission at some time in the future. To search for and
manage a draft negotiation:
1. Click the Manage quick link under Drafts on the Negotiations Home
page.
2. On the Manage Draft Negotiations page, select a search type
from the menu. You can search on negotiation number,
negotiation title, negotiation creator, and proximity to open date
(specified as the number of days outstanding). You can use % as a
wild card value
3. Enter your search values, and click Go.
4. Scroll through the Results display until you see the target draft.
5. Select the draft and continue processing. If the draft is locked,
click Unlock to access it. Click Edit to update the draft. Click
Review and Submit to publish the draft.
2.5.1.4 Searching for suppliers:

When creating a negotiation, you can send invitation notifications to
particular suppliers inviting them to participate in the negotiation. You will
also search for suppliers to add them to reusable invitation lists and/or
negotiation templates. You can identify the suppliers you wish to notify by
searching information in the Approved Supplier List, the Supplier Master, as
well as information provided by the supplier company itself.
o You can search the Approved Supplier List to identify suppliers who
sell a particular item or commodity. You can also search the
Approved Supplier list for suppliers of a particular status (for
example, approved or new).
o You can search the Supplier Master to identify suppliers who meet
certain criteria, for example, minority-owned or small business.
o You can search both the Approved Supplier List and the Supplier
Master at the same time.
On the Search and Select: Suppliers page
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1. Enter as many search values as are needed to efficiently qualify

your supplier search.
If you know the name of the supplier you wish to invite, enter
a full or partial supplier name.
If you wish to see all suppliers who provide a particular
commodity, use the flashlight to search and select commodity or
item.
To search by Supplier Business Classifications, click Show
Business Classifications and select the attribute values by
which you wish to search.
To search the Approved Supplier List Criteria, click Show
Approved Supplier List Criteria and select the attribute values
by which you wish to search.
After you have entered your search values, click Search.
2. From the Results: Suppliers display, select the supplier(s) and
click Invite.
2.5.1.5 Searching for lines and categories

While creating your negotiation, you must identify item(s) on which you
wish to negotiate. You must also specify the category to which the item
belongs. How you search depends on whether the line type for your item is
amount-based or goods-based.
With amount-based items, you can search and specify a category value but
cannot specify an item value.
1. Click the flashlight icon next to the Category field.
2. On the Search and Select: Category page, you can search by
either the Category name or by words contained in the Category
Description. Select the type of search from the drop down menu,
enter appropriate search values search values, and click Go.
3. Scroll through the Search Results display and select the correct
category. Click the Select button or the Quick Select icon. You
are returned to the create page with the category value inserted in
the Category field.
For goods-based items, you can search and specify an item value. The category
value defaults according to the item you select.
1. Click the flashlight next to the Item field.
2. On the Search and Select: Inventory Item page, enter a search value for
either the item name or a word in the item description. Click Go.
3. From the Search Results display, select the correct item and click Select. You
are returned to the negotiation creation page with the item value entered and
the Category value entered to the category for the item you selected.
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2.5.1.6 Searching for addresses:

While creating negotiations, many attributes default according to the organization
you select. This includes addresses such as Bill-To and Ship-To. In some cases,
however, you may need to change the default to a different address.
To search for and select a different address:

1. Click the flashlight icon next to the address field.
2. On the Search and Select page, enter a search value in the Search field and
click Go. The search value can be an address name, a partial name, or the
search wildcard, %.
The system performs a begins with search using any search values you
entered. If you do not know the beginning of the name, use a wildcard, such
as the percent sign (%). For example, a search on %Boston might return
North Boston as a billing address; a search on b% returns both Beijing and
Brussels; a search on br% returns only Brussels.
3. The Search Results display shows all addresses that matched your search
criteria. Find the correct address and click Select. You are returned to the
negotiation creation page with your new address appearing in the address
field.
2.5.1.7 Searching for lists

When creating a negotiation, there are many predefined lists which you can apply to
your negotiation to save time and standardize your sourcing practices. Such lists
include lists of item attributes or price elements.
To search and apply a list:

1. On the negotiation creation page, click the link to apply a predefined
list.
2. For each list, you can search using multiple criteria. For example,
most lists allow you to search by the list name and/or words in the list
description. Additionally, you can search for all lists that contain a
particular list entry. For example, you can search for all price element
lists that contain a particular price element. Enter as many search
values as required to efficiently qualify your search. Click Go.
3. From the Search Results display, select the list and click the
appropriate links or buttons to process the list if necessary and to
apply it to your negotiation.
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3. My Profile
3.1 How do I update my Sourcing personal options?

1. From the Negotiations Home page, click Preferences in the group of links
either the top or at the bottom of the page.
2. On the Preferences page, enter information in the following fields:
Enter or change the following personal information:
Name
Preferred Language
Country or territory where you live
Timezone where you live.
Type of character encoding you want used when
performing spreadsheet downloads and uploads.
Any accessibility features you are using
The currency you prefer to conduct business in.
The format in which you wish to receive notifications
from the system.
The method you want to format date and number
fields.
A new password, in necessary.
3. When you have finished editing your personal information, click Apply. To
cancel all changes, click Cancel.
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4. Sourcing Buyer Intelligence Reports
4.1 Introduction to Sourcing Intelligence
4.1.1 What is Sourcing Intelligence?

Sourcing Intelligence provides all the analytic and transactional reporting for your
Sourcing application. As buyers and suppliers collaborate on procurement-related
activities both price savings and efficiencies occur as a result of the increased
amount of information flowing through the system. Sourcing Intelligence promotes
the increased efficiency by enabling visibility and analysis of system transactions.
You can use Sourcing Intelligence to:
Track trends of purchases over time.
Identify potential savings opportunities.
Identify negotiation opportunities.
View summary reports that allow additional details.
You can view the reports online, or export and open the reports in a third-party
software application (such as spreadsheet software) where you can analyze and
format the numbers at your discretion. See "How do I export report data to a
spreadsheet?"
4.1.2 What are the Sourcing Intelligence reports I can generate?

You can generate any of the following Sourcing Intelligence reports:
4.1.2.1 Awards by Supplier report
What are the Awards by Supplier report?
The Awards by Supplier report displays a summary of all awards made by the buyer
to supplier(s). For each supplier, the report shows the total amount generated by
each sourcing transaction.type (bid or quote), as well as the total amount awarded to
this supplier. You can sort the report by clicking on the any of the underlined
column headings.
To run the Awards by Supplier report, see "How do I run the reports?"
Notes: Note the following when generating and evaluating report information
o Any report displaying calculated amounts does not include any RFI
amounts.
o Amounts do not include lines where award quantity and award
amount are unspecified.
o Savings is calculated by taking the difference between Current Price
and Award Price and multiplying it by the Award Quantity. If Current
Price is not available, savings is zero.
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4.1.2.2 Savings by Category report
What is the Savings by Category report?

The Savings by Category report displays your total savings broken down by item
category. The report is sorted by category, with the category with the highest
productive award appearing first.
To run the Savings by Category report, see, Section 4.1.3.1 "How do I run the
reports?"
Notes: Note the following when generating and evaluating report information:
o When entering a category search parameter, the report reflects only
the system-hosted catalog item categories.
o Any report displaying calculated amounts do not include any RFI
amounts.
amount are unspedified.
and Award Price and multiplying the difference by the Award
Quantity. If Current Price is not available, savings is zero.
Once you have generated a Savings by Category report, you can generate a Savings
by Item (Section 7.1.2.1) report for the items listed.
4.1.2.3 Awarded Bids Detail report
What is the Awarded Bids Detail report?

The Awarded Bids Detail report displays detailed information about auctions for
which business has been awarded. You can view the supporting awarded bid by
clicking the Auction number or Bid number.
To run the Awarded Bids Detail report, see "How do I run the reports?"
Note: For the Auction Outcome report parameter, select Standard Purchase Order,
Blanket Purchase Agreement, or All Outcomes.
Note the following when generating and evaluating report information:
When entering a category search parameter, the report reflects only the
system-hosted catalog item categories.
Any report displaying calculated amounts does not include any RFI
amounts.
Amounts do not include lines where award quantity and award amount are
unspecified.
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Savings is calculated by taking the difference between Current Price and

Award Price and multiplying the difference by the Award Quantity. If
Current Price is not available, savings is zero.
4.1.2.4 Awarded Quotes report
What is the Awarded Quotes report?

The Awarded Quotes report displays information about the selected RFQs that have
been awarded in the system. You can view individual quote details by clicking the
quote number.
To run the Awarded Quotes report, see "How do I run the reports?"
amounts.
Perspective for Java licensed from Three D Graphics, Inc. Copyright 2000 Three D
Graphics, Inc .
4.1.3 How do I export data to a spreadsheet?

You can conveniently view report data online, but at times, you may want to export
the data to a spreadsheet application where you can analyze and format the numbers
at your discretion. There are two main steps in this process:
To export report data to a spreadsheet:

1. Generate the intelligence report of your choice. See "What are the
Sourcing Intelligence reports I can generate?"
2. After you have generated your report, click Export to Spreadsheet at
the bottom of the report page.
3. You are prompted to save the file. (If you see an Unknown File Type
window, click Save File...) Save the file to the drive/location of your
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choice. The report data is saved with the default file name of the
report.
To open the spreadsheet file in a spreadsheet application:

1. After the file is saved, you can open the file in most spreadsheet applications,
such as Microsoft Excel:
o To quickly open the file in Excel, double-click the spreadsheet file.
This launches the application and displays the selected spreadsheet
file.
o Alternately, start your spreadsheet software and open the spreadsheet
file in the application:
When you open the file, the spreadsheet software may use a
Wizard that displays the steps to open the file. For example, in
Excel, the Text Import Wizard asks you to choose the file type
that describes your data (Delimited or Fixed Width).
Select Delimited. You will then be asked to set delimiters for
your data.
Choose Tab. Do not change the tab appearance in the file.
Note: If you cannot find the spreadsheet file when you use the Open
dialog box of the spreadsheet application, make sure that you are
pointing to the correct directory, and set the File Type in the dialog
box to All files.
2. Each row in the spreadsheet provides detailed information about transactions
that your company has performed on the system.
On the system, you can easily export the report data to a tab-delimited file that can
be opened in most spreadsheet applications. In a tab-delimited file, the fields are
separated by a tab character, but the text has no special formatting characters. These
files are very flexible and can be opened by many software applications including
spreadsheet software.
The column headings and data you see in the report are exported to a file that
includes such information as the System Name, Company, Report Name, Time
Frame, and User Name.
The Export to File feature exports all records for the report even if only a subset of
the records are displayed online. For example, a report may consist of 180 records of
which only 25 or 50 are shown online. However, when the results are exported, all
180 records are exported to the spreadsheet file.
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To view transactions in all currencies:

When you view transactions for a selected currency in a report, only transactions for
that selected currency are displayed. However, if you want to view all transactions
completed in all currencies, you can export the report data to a spreadsheet.
In the spreadsheet, transactions for all currencies, including the selected currency
and the currency code, are displayed.
4.1.3.1 How do I run reports?

1. On the Negotiations Home page, click the Reports tab.
2. The Sourcing Reports page displays information on the reports in the
system. It also gives a breakdown by negotiation type of the total amount of
money transacted. Click the link for the report you want to run.
3. Enter any search criteria into the appropriate fields, and click Go. (Not all
reports have all of the following search criteria.) An asterisk (*) indicates a
required field:
o *From and Through Date
Enter a date range for extracting and summarizing transactions.
o Currency
Select the currency of interest. If left blank, the report defaults to your
functional currency.
o Category (if available)
Select the category of interest using the search icon next to the field.
o Suppliers (if available)
Select the suppliers of interest using the search icon next to the field.
4. Once the report displays, click Show Chart (if available) for a graphical
representation of the report.
5. Click Export to Spreadsheet to download the report, if desired. See "How do
I export report data to a spreadsheet?"
4.2 Intelligence Reports
4.2.1 What is the Awards by Supplier report?

each sourcing transaction type (bid or quote), as well as the total amount awarded to
column headings.
To run the Awards by Supplier report, see "How do I run the reports?"
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amounts.
4.2.2 What is the Savings by Category report?

The Savings by Category report displays your total savings broken down by item
category. The report is sorted by category, with the category with the highest
productive award appearing first.
To run the Savings by Category report, see "How do I run the reports?"
Notes: Note the following when generating and evaluating report information:
amounts.
Once you have generated a Savings by Category report, you can generate a Savings
by Item report for the items listed.
4.2.3 What is the Awarded Bids Detail report?

Any report displaying calculated amounts do not include any RFI amounts.
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unspecified.
4.2.4 What is the Awarded Quotes report?

quote number.
amounts.
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5. Help for Sourcing Suppliers
5.1 Responding to Negotiations
5.1.1 How do I access negotiations?

The Negotiations Home page is the central point of access for all your negotiations.
From here, you can respond to all public negotiations as well as those negotiations to
which you have been specifically invited. You can also monitor negotiations in
which you are participating and manage any draft responses you have. If you have
Oracle Procurement Contracts installed, you can manage your contract deliverables
from this page as well.
To search for negotiations to which you have been invited:
Check the Your Company's Open Invitations section on the Negotiations Home
page for negotiations to which you have been invited. To access a negotiation, click
its Number link. This will take you to the negotiation summary page from which you
can perform additional tasks such as placing a response or viewing response history.
The Active and Draft section shows negotiations in which you are participating by
either having placed an active response, or by having a draft response that is in
progress. Note that this section only displays the five negotiations with the most
current expiration date. To see the complete list of invitations, click Full List.
If your company has multiple sites that are known to the buyer who created the
negotiation, a separate invitation might have been sent to each site. If this is the case,
you may see multiple entries having the same negotiation number but associated
with different sites. You can place a response on behalf of either or all sites.
To search for negotiations in which you are already participating or for which
you have prepared a draft response:
Check the Your Active and Draft Responses section to see any negotiations in which
you are currently participating or for which you have prepared draft responses.
The Response Status column shows whether you have an active response
against this negotiation or whether you are in the process of drafting a
response.
To see information on the negotiation, click the Negotiation Number link.
This takes you to the negotiation summary page.
To see your current response or draft information, click the Response
Number link. This takes you to the Details page.
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Note that the Your Active and Draft Negotiations section display only shows a
limited number of your responses according to the time remaining. To see all the
active and draft responses for your company, click Full List.
To search for open negotiations in which to participate:
You can access any open negotiation even if you were not specifically invited. To
find open negotiations, use the Search Negotiations fields at the top of the page. You can
search by:
Negotiation title.
Negotiation number.
Negotiation creator (contact).
Line (negotiations for a particular item or service).
Category (negotiations with lines in this category).
Event (negotiations associated with this sourcing event).
Select a search parameter, enter a value for the parameter, and click Go. On the
Active Negotiations page, you can
Select the negotiation and click Respond to create a response.
Click the negotiation number link to view details of the negotiation.
Click All Responses to view the responses to this negotiation.
Click "Your Company's Responses" to see details of any current responses
from suppliers at your company.
Click "Unread Messages" to view any online discussion messages.
5.1.2 How do I use Quick Links?

operation.
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5.1.3 How do I respond to a negotiation?

Suppliers can respond to public negotiations and private negotiations to which they
have been invited. To respond to a negotiation you must:
1. Find a negotiation in which to participate (See Section 2.4.1 “How do I
access negotiations”).
2. Submit your response (bid, or quote). (See section 5.1.6 “How do I submit a
response online”).
3. Monitor the action in the negotiation in which you are participating. (See
Section 5.2.1 “How do I monitor negotiations to which I've responded”).
5.1.4 How do I view the details of a negotiation before placing a response?
1. Under Open Invitations, click the negotiation number to access the

Negotiation Summary page for the negotiation in which you are interested.
Alternatively, use the Search Negotiations fields to access the Active
Negotiations page. Click the negotiation number to access the Negotiation
Summary page.
2. The Negotiation Summary page displays all the current information for this
negotiation. This includes such information as the time the negotiation,
detailed item information, the response controls, pricing, shipping and billing
information.
You can easily navigate to a particular section of the page (such as the item
information section) by clicking the small down arrowhead icons or the links
at the top right of the page.
If the item has attributes, price elements, or price breaks associated with it,
you can view information on the item attributes by clicking the "View" link
under the Details column.
The Notes and Attachments section displays any text messages from the
buyer and any attached files. Attachments can be viewed by clicking the
paperclip icon.
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If the negotiation is open, you can review any current responses by clicking
the number link under the Responses/Quotes/Bids column. If the negotiation
is closed, you can only see the response history if you are the buyer. If the
negotiation is sealed, no one can see the responses until the negotiation is
over and unsealed.
5.1.5 How do I respond to a Request for Information (RFI)?

A Request for Information (RFI) sourcing document is different from other sourcing
documents such as RFQ or buyer's auction. The purpose of RFQs and buyer's
auctions is to negotiate line price and costs prior to generating a purchasing
document.
The purpose of an RFI is to gather information on goods and services a supplier
company provides. RFIs may or may not be concerned with line price or costs.
Buyers use responses to an RFI to qualify suppliers early in the procurement process.
RFIs typically run to several rounds as buyers continually refine the groups of
suppliers who can most closely supply the products and services the buyer is looking
for. Once the appropriate group of suppliers has been identified, the RFI can be
converted to an RFQ or buyer's auction, and the buyer can initiate a regular
price/cost negotiation with the targeted suppliers.
To respond to an RFI:
1. From the Negotiations Home page, search for any open RFIs or RFIs to
which you've been specifically invited. RFIs to which you've been invited
will appear under Open Invitations. You can find open RFIs by entering
search values in the Search Open Negotiations fields and clicking Go.
2. From the Results: Active Negotiations, select the RFI to which you wish to
respond and click Respond.
3. On the Terms and Conditions page, either accept or reject the negotiations
conditions.
4. On the Create Response page, enter response values as you normally would
when bidding or quoting online. If the buyer chose to include the Price and
Quantity fields, you are required to provide values for these fields. Otherwise,
the Price and Quantity fields are display only and you cannot enter anything
in them.
5. Since the purpose of an RFI is to obtain product and service related
information for a negotiation line, most negotiation lines in an RFI have
attributes defined. These line attributes identify the questions the buyer has
about a particular line. Line attributes appear under the Lines section of the
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Create Response page. The Attribute Type column shows you whether a
response is required or optional. If the buyer has chosen to display an
attribute target, this value appears in the Target Value column. When
entering responses, be aware of the following size limits:
o Attribute: 240 characters
o Target: 4000 characters
o Response: 4000 characters
6. When you have responded to all required and optional line attributes, click
Continue
7. On the Create Response: Review and Submit page, verify your response
values. If correct, click Submit.
8.
5.1.6 How do I submit a response online?

Navigate to the negotiation summary page for the negotiation to which you wish to
respond by clicking its negotiation number link under the Open Invitations section of
the Negotiations Home page. Alternatively, you can enter search values into the
Search Negotiations fields and click Go to list all negotiations in the system,
including ones to which you were not explicitly invited to. On the Active
Negotiations page, find your negotiation and click the negotiation number link there.
You can see details of the negotiation on the negotiation summary page. If you want
to view any responses that have already been submitted, click View Quote
History/View Bid History. You can only see the existing responses when the
negotiation is open or unsealed.
To submit response online:

1. On the negotiation summary page, select Create Quote/Create Bid from the
Actions menu to create a response to the negotiation.
2. If the buyer has defined Terms and Conditions, you are asked to read and
accept the negotiation terms and conditions. After reading the terms and
conditions, click Accept.
3. On the Create Quote/Create Bid page, enter the following information.
o Quote Currency (Bid Currency)
The buyer might allow quotes/bids in currencies other than the
RFQ/auction currency (the currency used to create the RFQ or
auction). If so, you can select the currency in which you will place
your quote/bid.
Note: Before you select a currency, all response prices (such
as start price and target price) will be listed in the
RFQ/auction currency. After you select a currency, you will
see all prices listed in your chosen currency.
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If the buyer has allowed it, you can see the exchange rate for
currencies other than the response currency.
o Quote Valid Until (Bid Valid Until)
Enter the date on which your bid or quote expires. You can use the
pop-up calendar to select a date.
o Reference Number
A number you can assign for your own internal tracking. This is
different from the quote/bid number which is generated by the system,
assigned automatically, and cannot be edited. The buyer can view this
value.
o Note to Buyer
You can enter a short text note to the buyer.
o Attachments
Click Add Attachments and use the Add Attachment page to supply
the buyer with any additional information on, or specifications about
your response.
o Attributes
If there are any header level attributes, they are displayed in the
Attributes table. See the Attribute column for an explanation of the
attribute. Enter your response in the Bid Value/Quote Value field .
o Power Bid (when rebidding in an auction only)
If you are rebidding and wish to use the Power Bid functionality,
enter a number representing the percentage by which all your bid
prices should be updated. Click Recalculate to display your new
prices. Note that the buyer may have defined a minimum value by
which prices must change, and if your new bids are not acceptable,
you receive an error message. Power Bid is disabled if any of the
negotiation items contain price elements.
o Proxy Bid Decrement (auctions only)
If the buyer allowed proxy bidding, enter the value by which you
wish your bid to be reduced. This can represent either a percentage or
monetary amount depending on the settings defined by the buyer. If
the buyer wants the bid to decrease by a monetary amount, the
currency sign will appear after the Proxy Bid Decrement field. If the
buyer wants the bid to decrease by a percentage, a percent sign will
appear after the Proxy Bid Decrement field. Proxy bids are not
applied to any item having a price element. If all items in the auction
have price elements, proxy bidding is disabled and this box does not
appear.
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o Quote/Bid Price
Your price for one unit of the item or service. If a line contains price
elements, this field is display only, and you enter your price in the
Bid/Quote Value field for the Line Price price element .
o Bid Proxy Minimum(auctions only)
If the auction allows proxy bidding, enter your minimum bid. If the
bidding drops below this amount, automatic bidding on your behalf is
discontinued, and you must enter new bids manually. You can rebid
specifying new proxy bid values.
o Quote Quantity/Bid Quantity
Number of units on which you are Quoting/Bidding. If the buyer set
bid controls to allow only full quantity bids, this field is display only
and shows the quantity entered by the buyer. If Quantity has been
scored and weighted, this field is display only, and you enter your
quantity value in the Quantity attribute for the line.
o Promise Date
Use the pop-up calendar to enter the date by which you will deliver
the item or service. If the negotiation outcome is Standard Purchase
Order or this attribute is weighted, Promise Date is required.
o Attributes
If there are line attributes defined for this line, enter your responses to
each attribute. The Attribute Type column shows whether a response
is required or optional.
o Price Elements
Price elements are displayed if they have been added to an item by
the buyer.
Bid Value
Enter your value for this price element. When you
click Continue, the item price, the bid value and the
pricing basis are used to calculate the bid price.
Pricing Basis
The method by which this price element is used to
calculate the bid price:
Per-Unit
The value is multiplied by the quantity of units bid and
added to the item price.
Fixed Amount
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The value is divided by the quantity of units bid and

added to the item price.
% of Item Price
The value is divided by 100, then multiplied by the
item price, and the result added to the item price.
o Price Breaks
If there are price breaks defined for this item, click the "Click here. »
line to enter your price break responses.
o Note to Buyer
If necessary, enter a text note to the buyer to supply additional
information on your response to this line.
o Add Attachments
You can attach additional line information to your bid. You might
wish to do this to respond to any attachments from the buyer or
simply to include detailed information. If you have added attachments,
you see the paperclip attached to a page of paper.
4. After entering values as needed, click Continue. This returns you to the
Create Quote/Bid: Review and Submit page.
5. Verify your response information for accuracy. Click Edit to update any
incorrect information.
6. When you are satisfied with your bid, click Submit.
Note: If for some reason you do not wish to submit your response immediately,
click Save Draft to save your response information for a later session. Your draft
will be assigned a number which you can use later when accessing the draft for
editing or completion. You can access your draft responses by clicking the Manage
Draft quick link from the Negotiations Home page. You can access the draft for
editing or for submission.
Drafts can be used to spread the response definition over several sessions. This is
common in situations where the response is complex and requires the input of
several collaborators. In this case, the draft can be accessed and edited as needed
until the final version is ready for submission.
If multiple responses are allowed, a single supplier organization can have multiple
draft responses against the same negotiation; however, a single supplier user can
only have one draft response outstanding against a single negotiation. If a single best
bid situation is in effect, a supplier organization can have only one draft response
against a particular negotiation.
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5.1.7 How do I view the attachments associated with the negotiation to which
I am responding?
In addition to the typical negotiation information, on occasion the buyer may need to
communicate or request additional information such as specialized requirements.
The buyer can use the note text box for short communications or use attachments for
larger amounts of information. Notes and attachments can be assigned to the
negotiation header or the negotiation lines.
To view the notes and attachments:

1. From the Negotiations Home page, click the negotiation number link under
Your Company's Open Invitiations to view negotiations to which you have
been invited. Alternately, search for an open negotiation by selecting a
search criteria, providing a search value and clicking Go.
2. Click the negotiation number link to display the negotiation summary page.
3. The negotiation summary page displays all the information on the
negotiation broken down into a tab-oriented form so you can easily view the
information contained in the different sections of the negotiation. By default,
the page displays the negotiation header information.
4. Click the Lines subtab to see details of the negotiation lines.

To see the detail information for each line, click that line's number link. On
the Line: page, you see any notes and attachments assigned by the buyer to
the line.
If this line was AutoCreated from Purchasing and there was both an
attachment at the requisition header level as well as attachments at the line
level, there will be two attachments for each line. The first attachment is the
requisition header attachment. The second attachment is the line attachment.
5. Once you have viewed all your attachments, click Return to Negotiations to
return to the negotiation summary page. From this page you can continue
placing a response.
5.1.8 How do I use item attributes and price elements when responding to a
negotiation?
When creating a new negotiation, a buyer can add item attributes and/or price
elements to any item(s) in the negotiation. Price elements identify additional costs
associated with an item which need to be negotiated in addition to the item price.
When you respond to a negotiation that includes item attributes and/or price
elements, you can view these specific item details (if allowed by the buyer) and
enter additional values to target your response.
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Item attributes provide extra information about a negotiation item. They define 1)
unique specifications that are set for a negotiation item, and 2) the details that a
negotiation participant should provide when entering a response for that item. Item
attributes make a negotiation item more descriptive and can be used to ensure that all
responses submitted for the item include details not included elsewhere in the item
information.
Item attributes also allow you to provide more information and details when entering
responses. By providing item details and specifications in item attribute fields, you
can set your responses apart from your competitors' responses and enable buyers to
make better-informed award decisions. In Multi-Attribute Weighted Scoring
negotiations, your responses to an item's attributes are scored and weighted to allow
the buyer to make more informed decisions.
Using price elements allows you to target additional costs related to a particular
negotiation item. Such costs can include discrete charges such as import duties or
activities such consulting or training costs.
5.1.9 What is AutoRefresh?

AutoRefresh enables you to continuously monitor the bidding in an auction before or
after you submit a bid.
To activate AutoRefresh:
1. Locate an open auction in which you'd like to bid. Select the auction and
click Respond.
2. On the Create Bid page, click AutoRefresh On.
3. On the AutoRefresh page, you can adjust the AutoRefresh interval setting to
change the length of time between page refreshes.
4. If you want to display only those auction items that are included in a specific
category, select the category from the View menu, then click Go.
5. The AutoRefresh page updates the current best bid price and your bid status
for each item in the auction. Your bid status is No Bid for any item on which
you have not placed a bid, Win for any item on which you have the current
best bid price, and Lose for any item on which you have been outbid.
Click Create Bid to deactivate AutoRefresh and place a bid on the auction.
5.1.10 What is proxy bidding and how does it work?

By activating proxy bidding, you allow the system to automatically rebid on your
behalf whenever a competing bid price beats your bid price.
In an auction that includes more than one item, you can proxy bid on some items and
bid manually on others. You cannot proxy bid on any items that have price elements.
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To activate proxy bidding:

When you place a bid on an auction, you can enter your proxy bid information in the
appropriate fields on the Create Bid page. Use numbers, for example, 10.75. To
submit a proxy bid for any auction item, you must provide the following information:
Note: If at any time you wish to change your proxy bid information, you can cancel
your proxy bid and submit a new bid with the updated proxy information.
Proxy Bid Decrement
You must enter the exact amount by which you want each of your proxy bids to
decrease. The Proxy Bid Decrement field will indicate whether you can enter the
amount as a percentage or monetary amount (this is determined by the buyer).
Your proxy bid decrement amount will be applied to the current winning bid in the
auction, not your own current bid. For example, if you have submitted a $3,500 bid
in an auction with a proxy bid decrement amount of $100, and a $3,400 bid is
subsequently submitted, the system will automatically submit a proxy bid of $3,300
on your behalf.
Proxy Minimum Bid

You must enter the lowest price you are willing to proxy bid for any auction
item. Whenever your bid price is exceeded by a competing bid price, the
system will continue to automatically rebid (by the proxy bid decrement
amount you specify) until your proxy minimum bid price is met.
Note: After you have submitted your proxy minimum bid amount, you
cannot change this amount unless the minimum amount is met in the auction
bidding or you cancel the proxy bidding on the item.
When bidding on an auction that contains more than one item, you can proxy bid on
all or selected items. Enter your proxy bid decrement amount, then enter a proxy
minimum bid only for those items on which you want to proxy bid. You cannot enter
different proxy bid decrement amounts for each item.
If the bidding on an auction item in which your proxy bidding drops below your
proxy bid minimum amount, automatic proxy bidding is discontinued. You can then
do any of the following:
Enable another round of proxy bidding for the item
Enter new proxy bid information. You can change your proxy bid decrement
if all items on the bid do not have proxy enabled. You can also change the
proxy bid minimum amounts. Then submit the bid as normal.
Bid manually on the itemContinue bidding on the item by submitting bids
manually.
Discontinue bidding on the item
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5.1.11 How do I turn off proxy bidding?

Proxy bidding allows a bidder to have the system automatically rebid whenever a
competing bid is received. The bidder specifies the amount of the price decrement
(expressed as a percentage or a flat price reduction) and the minimum price to offer.
Once enabled, the system will continue to rebid at lower prices until the bidder's
minimum bid price is reached. At this point, proxy bidding in suspended.
Cancelling proxy bidding

In most cases, once proxy bidding has been initiated, it can be allowed to run to
conclusion. However, there may be certain instances in which the bidder needs to
end proxy bidding early. Usually, this happens when the bidder needs to update bid
information. For example, the promise date offered by the bidder may need to be
updated due to unforeseen situations at the time the proxy was begun. Or in a multi-
attribute weighted negotiation, the bidder may wish to update the non-price related
information to improve the price to total score ratio. In both these cases, the bidder
may wish to halt the proxy bidding to update bid information.
To cancel proxy bidding.

Once you have placed a bid using proxy bidding, you can monitor its progress by
locating the negotiation number under Your Active and Draft Responses section of
the Negotiations Home page. To view the details of your current bid, click the
Response number link.
1. Click Create Bid to create a new bid.
2. On the Rebid page, click Cancel Proxy at the bottom of the page.
3. The Cancel Proxy Bidding page shows all line items for which you have
proxy bidding enabled. Select the items for which you wish to disable proxy
bidding, and click Cancel All Proxies. The Cancel Proxy Bidding page
redisplays without the line item(s) for which you just disabled proxy bidding
(you can choose to retain proxy bidding on some line items but not others)
4. To continue placing a new bid, click Create Bid. When the Rebid page
appears, continue entering your new bid information (including new proxy
specifications if desired).
5.1.12 What is power bid?

Power bid allows you to expedite your rebidding when you have bid on several
items in the same auction. When you use power bid, all of your bids (losing and
winning) in an auction are improved by the percentage you enter in the Power Bid
field. Power bidding cannot be used if any of the auction items contain price
elements.
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To use power bid:

1. Access the auction on which you want to rebid.
2. On the Create Bid page, enter the power bid percentage by which you want
to decrease each of your bids in the auction. Enter numbers, for example,
7.25.
3. Click Recalculate to preview your power bid prices. The recalculated price
appears in the Price field. Because you are only previewing your power bids,
your bid status does not change yet, even if your new bid price exceeds the
current best bid for any auction item. Your bid prices so not take effect until
you click Submit Bid.
4. If you want to return to your original bid prices, click Clear Changes. You
can then enter a new power bid percentage and click Go to revise your power
bid.
5. When you are satisfied with your power bid prices, click Submit Bid and
review the details of your bid.
5.1.13 How do I download a spreadsheet and respond offline?

Importing your responses using a spreadsheet is helpful if there are many lines in a
large negotiation. Bulk loading is also useful if you respond to similar negotiations
that occur repeatedly. You can create the spreadsheet once and then make only the
modifications necessary for a particular negotiation.
As you prepare to respond, you may want to look at responses that have already
been submitted (not viewable in blind or sealed auctions or in RFQs). After you
have located a negotiation on which to bid, click the negotiation number and review
the negotiation's details and lines, then click History to review responses.
To download a spreadsheet and prepare your bid or quote offline:

1. Access the open negotiation to which you wish to respond.
2. From the negotiation summary page, select Create Quote/Bid from the
Action menu and click Go.
3. On the Quote/Bid by Spreadsheet page, select the type of file(s) you wish
to download. You can download an Excel spreadsheet or a text spreadsheet.
4. Save the spreadsheet file to a convenient location.
5. Open the spreadsheet file and complete according to the instructions in the
Read Me file included in the zip. Save the file.
6. Navigate back to the Quote/Bid by Spreadsheet page.
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7. Browse to the location where you saved your spreadsheet file. Click Import.
The system will validate the response information you entered in your
spreadsheet.
8. Verify the details of your quote or bid. If you need to make changes, use
your Back button. Click Submit.
9. The Bid Confirmation/Quote Confirmation page displays your bid number.
5.1.14 How do I rebid on an RFQ or auction?

1. Access the negotiation on which you wish to rebid. Click the response link to
access the Details page.
2. On the negotiation Details page, click Create Quote/Bid.
3. On the Rebid/Requote page, enter your new bid information and click
Continue.
4. On the Review Quote/Bid page, check your response information. If correct,
click Submit.
5.1.15 How do I respond to a negotiation that has gone to an additional round

of responding?
A buyer can decide to close an active negotiation and restart it. There are several
reasons why this might happen. If the negotiation is an RFQ, the initial round might
have been simply for information gathering purposes, or the buyer may decide to
change negotiation criteria such as terms and conditions, Quote/Bid controls, or the
invitation lists. Once the buyer has published the updated RFQ/Auction,
notifications are sent to the original and any newly added participants.
You respond to a second-round negotiation the same way as to the initial negotiation.
After you have located the negotiation in which you wish to participate, you can
respond with your new Quote/Bid. If the buyer has updated an item for the new
round, you will need to respond to that item again. If the item is unchanged from the
previous round, your prior response is carried over to the new round.
Once you have displayed the new negotiation, you can easily identify the updated
information by clicking View New Round Summary. The Multi-Round
Modifications Summary page shows you negotiation information that has been
updated since the previous round.
After you have analyzed the updated negotiation information, you can continue
placing your re
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5.1.16 Why would a negotiation have special terms and conditions?

Your buying company can include customized terms and conditions that govern its
negotiations.
When you respond to such a negotiation, these terms and conditions are presented
before you enter the details of your response. Review the negotiation's terms and
conditions, click Accept, then continue entering your response.
If you do not accept the negotiation's terms and conditions, click Cancel. You will
not be allowed to enter a response in the negotiation.
5.1.17 How do I respond to an amendment to a sourcing document?

After publishing a negotiation, the buyer may need to update some of the
information defined in the sourcing document. Such updates are called amendments.
Once a document has been amended, you must review and acknowledge the
amendments and place a new response.
To respond to a negotiation that was amended before your first response:

If the amendment was made prior to your first access, you will only be able to
respond to the amended version.
1. Search for the negotiation.
2. Select the negotiation and click Respond.
3. You are informed that the negotiation has amendments and are prompted to
acknowledge them. Click Yes. To be eligible for an award decision, you
must have reviewed all the amendments and placed a response to the latest
one.
4. On the Acknowledge Amendment page, review the document information,
click the checkbox and then click Acknowledge.
5. If there are multiple amendments, you must review and acknowledge each
one.
6. Once you have acknowledged all the amendments, you can continue to
respond to the negotiation normally.
To respond to a negotiation that was amended after your first response:

1. If you placed a response before the amendment was made, the next time you
access the system the status of your initial response will have been changed
to Resubmission Required in the Your Active and Draft Responses section of
the Negotiations Home page.
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2. Click the negotiation number link to view the original negotiation and its
updates.
The negotiation summary page shows the original version of the negotiation.
3. Click "View Amendment History" to see the changes made to the original
negotiation.
4. The Amendment History page has entries for the original negotiation and
any subsequently amended versions. The amended versions are suffixed with
an incrementing counter. The currently active version has the highest number
and is the first entry in the table.
5. Click the suffixed number links to see the different versions of the sourcing
document, or click the Review Changes icon to see what information
changed between a version and its prior version. The Review Changes page
identifies the information that has changed. You can toggle between the
current version and its prior version using the buttons.
6. Click Acknowledge Amendment. To be considered for an award decision,
you must acknowledge that you have viewed the amendment and placed a
new response.
7. On the Acknowledge Amendment page, you are presented the first
amendment. Review the information, and then click the checkbox
acknowledging you have reviewed the amendment. Click Acknowledge.
8. You are presented any additional amendments, which you must review and
acknowledge.
9. Once you have acknowledged all the amendments, you can place a new
response on the negotiation.
5.1.18 How do I respond to a deliverable defined to a negotiation?

Deliverables are additional requirements a buyer may request of a supplier over the
course of a negotiation. Deliverables are part of the contract terms the buyer may
have defined and are typically additional pieces of documentation that must be
provided by the supplier. If Oracle Procurement Contracts is implemented by the
buying organization, there may be deliverables to which you must respond.
You use the Create Response page to enter your response to the buyer's negotiation.
This includes responses to any contract terms the buyer has defined. Contract terms
are displayed in the Contract Terms section of the page.
1. If there are deliverables, they will be listed in the Deliverables section. Each
deliverable has a due date, and you must respond to these deliverables before
their dates expire. If there is an exclamation point icon in the Alert column,
the due date for completion of that deliverable has passed and that
deliverable is late. If there is an X icon in the Alert column, the responsible
party failed to perform the deliverable.
2. Once you have completed the tasks outlined in the deliverable, you respond
to the deliverable and update its status. Click the Update icon.
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3. On the Update Deliverable page, you can perform the following

modifications (note that changes to the deliverable status are tracked and can
be displayed):
o Modify or delete an existing attachment, or add a new attachment
4. Change the status to Submitted and click Done.
5. Continue responding to the negotiation.
5.1.19 How do I respond to a service-related line?

When you are responding to a service-based negotiation, the fields to which you can
respond depend on the type of line.
Responding to a temporary labor, rate-based line

You can respond to the following fields:
Bid Price
Attributes (if any)
Price differentials (if any)
Location Pricing
Responding to a temporary labor, fixed-price line

Bid Price
Attributes (if any)
Responding to General Services, fixed-price line

Bid Price
Attributes (if any)
Responding to Price Differentials

You can respond to price differentials at the line or location (price break) level if
they are marked as optional or required. If it is possible to enter a value, it must be
higher than the tageted multiplier defined by the supplier.
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5.2 Monitoring Negotiations
5.2.1 How do I monitor negotiations to which I've responded?

From the Negotiations Home page, you can easily monitor the status of negotiations
to which you have responded. The Your Active and Draft Responses section lists all
negotiations to which your have either submitted an active response or to which you
are still creating a draft response.
1. Click the Negotiation Number link to see details of the negotiation such as
negotiation items, terms and conditions, and response controls.
2. Click the Response Number link to see details of your current responses.
Also on the Negotiations Home page, you can use the Response Quick Links to see
the status of your awarded, disqualified, and rejected responses.
5.2.2 How do I use Quick Links?

operation.
5.2.3 How do I track the status of my responses?

When a negotiation in which you have participated is awarded, the system sends you
an e-mail notification listing the number of negotiation items you won (if any) and
lost (if any).
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To view the status of your responses:

From the Responses Quick Links section of the Negotiations Home page click:
"Awarded" to access the Awarded page showing information on all your
awarded business.
"Rejected" to access the Rejected page showing information on all your
rejected responses.
"Disqualified" to access the Disqualified page showing information on all
your disqualified responses.
5.2.4 What information is contained on the Disqualified Responses page?

The Disqualified Responses page shows you all responses you have placed in any
negotiation that have been disqualified by the buyer. The Disqualified Responses
page allows you to drill down into detailed information about the negotiation and
your response to it. The Disqualified Responses page shows:
Response Number
The number assigned to your response by the system.
Your Response Number
The number you assigned your response, if any.
Negotiation Number
The number assigned the negotiation by the system.
Type
The negotiation type: RFI, RFQ, or buyer's auction
Title
The title of the negotiation.
Event Title
The name of the event, if the negotiation is associated with one.
Time Left
Time remaining until the negotiation closes.
Reason
Any explanation provided by the buyer explaining why the response was
disqualified.
If the negotiation is still open, you can select your response and click Revise to
update your information and submit a new response.
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5.2.5 What information is contained on the Awarded Items page?

The Awarded Items page shows you all negotiation items for which you have been
awarded business. The Awarded Items page allows you to drill down into detailed
information about the negotiation items and your responses to them. The Awarded
Items page shows:
Response Number
Negotiation Number
The number assigned the negotiation by the system.
Type
The negotiation type: RFI, RFQ, or buyer's auction
Item Description
The description of the item entered by the buyer.
Promise Date
The date by which you said you can supply the item.
Award Quantity
The number of negotiation item units the buyer is contracting to buy from
you.
Response Price
The price at which you offered to sell the item.
Order
The purchase order generated from this negotiation.
Reason
Any optional message from the buyer.
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5.2.6 What information is contained on the Rejected Items page?

The Rejected Items page shows you all items to which you responded but were not
awarded by the buyer. The Rejected Items page allows you to drill down into
detailed information about the negotiation and your response to it. The Rejected
Items page shows:
Response Number
Negotiation Number
The number assigned the negotiation by the system.|
Type
The type of negotiation: RFQ, or Buyer's Auction
Item Description
Description of the negotiation item.
Promise Date
The date by which you promised to deliver the item.
Response Quantity
The number of item units you offered to sell the buyer.
Response Price
The price at which you offered to sell the item.
Reason
Any message provided by the buyer explaining why the item was not
awarded.

progress?
There may be times when buyers and suppliers need to contact each other directly
for additional information or clarification. Once a negotiation has been published,
participants can communicate with each other by entering into an ongoing
conversation called an online discussion.
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Using an online discussion

Once a negotiation is published, you can participate in a online discussion by
clicking the number link under Unread Messages (under "Your Negotiations at a
Glance" for Sourcing Buyers, and "Your Active and Draft Responses" for Sourcing
Suppliers). Clicking the Unread Messages number link takes you to the Online
Discussion page. You can also initiate an online conversation from the negotiation
summary page.
The Online Discussions page displays all discussions associated with this
negotiation (there can be multiple discussions for a single negotiation). The Subject:
label identifies each discussion. For each discussion, there is an entry for the original
message initiating that discussion as well as all replies to that message. If you have
read and/or replied to a message, then the Status of the message is either Read or
Replied. The newest entries appear at the top of the table.
You can display all discussions associated with this negotiation by clicking Printable
Page, and then Print.
To create a new discussion, click New Message. The Create New Message
window opens. In this window you
o select the recipient(s) of the message.
o specify the subject heading for the message.
o enter the full text of the message .
When you have finished entering your message, click Send. A new
discussion thread is created by the system.
To see the text of a message, click the link under the Message column. The
Message window displays the text of the message and other information
such as the time, date, and recipients of the message.
o To reply to the message, click Reply. The Reply to Message window
opens. Enter the text of your response and click Send.
o To print this message, click Print. Fill out the network print box and
click Print.
To reply directly to a message, click Reply. Enter your reply text and click
Send.
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Online Conversation Participants Messaging Capabilities

The table below details the rules governing the messaging capabilities of the
negotiation creator and the respondents. Note that the rules vary depending on the
style of negotiation.
Negotiation Creator Can Negotiation Respondents Can

Negotiation Style
Respond to Respond to
Open Negotiation One or more respondents Creator only
Blind Negotiation One or more respondents Creator only
Sealed
All respondents All respondents
Negotiation
5.2.8 How do I turn off proxy bidding?

Proxy bidding allows a bidder to have the system automatically rebid whenever a
competing bid is received. The bidder specifies the amount of the price decrement
(expressed as a percentage or a flat price reduction) and the minimum price to offer.
Once enabled, the system will continue to rebid at lower prices until the bidder's
minimum bid price is reached. At this point, proxy bidding in suspended.
Canceling proxy bidding

In most cases, once proxy bidding has been initiated, it can be allowed to run to
conclusion. However, there may be certain instances in which the bidder needs to
end proxy bidding early. Usually, this happens when the bidder needs to update bid
information. For example, the promise date offered by the bidder may need to be
updated due to unforeseen situations at the time the proxy was begun. Or in a multi-
attribute weighted negotiation, the bidder may wish to update the non-price related
information to improve the price to total score ratio. In both these cases, the bidder
may wish to halt the proxy bidding to update bid information.
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To cancel proxy bidding.

Once you have placed a bid using proxy bidding, you can monitor its progress by
locating the negotiation number under Your Active and Draft Responses section of
the Negotiations Home page. To view the details of your current bid, click the
Response number link.
1. Click Create Bid to create a new bid.
2. On the Rebid page, click Cancel Proxy at the bottom of the page.
3. The Cancel Proxy Bidding page shows all line items for which you have
proxy bidding enabled. Select the items for which you wish to disable proxy
bidding, and click Cancel All Proxies. The Cancel Proxy Bidding page
redisplays without the line item(s) for which you just disabled proxy bidding
(you can choose to retain proxy bidding on some line items but not others).
4. To continue placing a new bid, click Create Bid. When the Rebid page
appears, continue entering your new bid information (including new proxy
specifications if desired).
5.2.9 How do I print information on my negotiation?

Much business communication today is carried and managed offline. Government
organizations in particular present solicitation packages according to a unified
format. Buyers need the capability to download and print a negotiation for offline
review. Responders should be able to complete negotiation documents and return the
results by FAX, mail or email.
The printed version of the negotiation is appropriate for public display since it
excludes all internal data such as internal attributes, current prices, or names of
invited suppliers. The printed version also does not include any price elements
defined to the negotiation. If Oracle Procurement Contracts is implemented and the
sourcing document has contract terms attached to it, the clauses and deliverables are
printed as well.
To print a negotiation (for buyers):

1. On the Negotiations Homepage, search for the negotiation you wish to print.
Access the negotiation by clicking its negotiation link. These negotiations are
listed under the Your Negotiations at a Glance section. If you cannot see all
your negotiations, click Full List.
menu
to a location on your machine and review the document there.
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To print a negotiation (for suppliers):

1. On the Negotiations Homepage, search for the negotiation you wish to print
by clicking the Negotiation Number link.
menu.
to a location on your machine and review the document there
To print contract terms only:

1. On the Negotiations Home page, search for the negotiation for which you
wish to print the contract terms by clicking the negotiation number link.
2. Click the Contract Terms link in the navigation bar.
3. Click Preview Contract Terms.
4. When the prompt box appears, open and inspect the print directly or save it
to a location and review the document locally.
5.2.10 How do I respond to an amendment to a sourcing document?

After publishing a negotiation, the buyer may need to update some of the
information defined in the sourcing document. Such updates are called amendments.
Once a document has been amended, you must review and acknowledge the
amendments and place a new response.
To respond to a negotiation that was amended before your first response:
If the amendment was made prior to your first access, you will only be able to
respond to the amended version.
1. Search for the negotiation.
2. Select the negotiation and click Respond.
3. You are informed that the negotiation has amendments and are prompted to
acknowledge them. Click Yes. To be eligible for an award decision, you
must have reviewed all the amendments and placed a response to the latest
one.
4. On the Acknowledge Amendment page, review the document information,
click the checkbox and then click Acknowledge.
5. If there are multiple amendments, you must review and acknowledge each
one.
6. Once you have acknowledged all the amendments, you can continue to
respond to the negotiation normally.
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To respond to a negotiation that was amended after your first response:

1. If you placed a response before the amendment was made, the next time you
access the system the status of your initial response will have been changed
to Resubmission Required in the Your Active and Draft Responses section of
the Negotiations Home page.
2. Click the negotiation number link to view the original negotiation and its
updates.
The negotiation summary page shows the original version of the negotiation.
3. Click "View Amendment History" to see the changes made to the original
negotiation.
4. The Amendment History page has entries for the original negotiation and
any subsequently amended versions. The amended versions are suffixed with
an incrementing counter. The currently active version has the highest number
and is the first entry in the table.
5. Click the suffixed number links to see the different versions of the sourcing
document, or click the Review Changes icon to see what information
changed between a version and its prior version. The Review Changes page
identifies the information that has changed. You can toggle between the
current version and its prior version using the buttons.
6. Click Acknowledge Amendment. To be considered for an award decision,
you must acknowledge that you have viewed the amendment and placed a
new response
7. On the Acknowledge Amendment page, you are presented the first
amendment. Review the information, and then click the checkbox
acknowledging you have reviewed the amendment. Click Acknowledge.
8. You are presented any additional amendments, which you must review and
acknowledge.
9. Once you have acknowledged all the amendments, you can place a new
response on the negotiation.
5.2.11 How do I respond to a deliverable defined to a negotiation?

Deliverables are additional requirements a buyer may request of a supplier over the
course of a negotiation. Deliverables are part of the contract terms the buyer may
have defined and are typically additional pieces of documentation that must be
provided by the supplier. If Oracle Procurement Contracts is implemented by the
buying organization, there may be deliverables to which you must respond.
You use the Create Response page to enter your response to the buyer's negotiation.
This includes responses to any contract terms the buyer has defined. Contract terms
are displayed in the Contract Terms section of the page.
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1. If there are deliverables, they will be listed in the Deliverables section. Each
deliverable has a due date, and you must respond to these deliverables before
their dates expire. If there is an exclamation point icon in the Alert column,
the due date for completion of that deliverable has passed and that
deliverable is late. If there is an X icon in the Alert column, the responsible
party failed to perform the deliverable.
2. Once you have completed the tasks outlined in the deliverable, you respond
to the deliverable and update its status. Click the Update icon.
3. On the Update Deliverable page, you can perform the following
modifications (note that changes to the deliverable status are tracked and can
be displayed):
o Modify or delete an existing attachment, or add a new attachment
4. Change the status to Submitted and click Done.
5. Continue responding to the negotiation.
5.2.12 How do I respond to a service-related line?

When you are responding to a service-based negotiation, the fields to which you can
respond depend on the type of line.
Responding to a temporary labor, rate-based line

Bid Price
Attributes (if any)
Price differentials (if any)
Location Pricing
Responding to a temporary labor, fixed-price line

Bid Price
Attributes (if any)
Responding to General Services, fixed-price line

Bid Price
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Attributes (if any)
Responding to Price Differentials

You can respond to price differentials at the line or location (price break) level if
they are marked as optional or required. If it is possible to enter a value, it must be
higher than the tageted multiplier defined by the supplier.
5.3 Searching
5.3.1 How do I search for negotiations?

To be able to successfully conduct business on Oracle Sourcing, you must be able to
quickly locate negotiations of interest. There are several ways to search depending
on the kind of negotiation you are looking for.
To search for your active and draft responses:
If you are currently participating in a negotiation, or are in the process of preparing a
response for a negotiation, information on your responses is displayed under Your
Active and Draft Responses section of the Negotiations Home page. From this
display, you can:
Click the negotiation number link to see details about the negotiation.
Click the response number link of an active response to see the details of
your current response.
Click the response number link of a draft response to continue editing the
draft.
To see a list of all your negotiations, click Full List.
To search for negotiations to which you've been invited:
If a buyer has invited you to participate in a negotiation, you will see an entry for
that negotiation under Open Negotiations. To access a negotiation, click the Number
link for that negotiation. You can see the details of the negotiation and decide
whether or not to participate. To see a complete list of negotiations to which you
have been invited, click Full List.
To search for all open negotiations:

In addition to the negotiations to which you have been specifically invited, there
may be many other open negotiations which you may wish to investigate and
participate in.
1. To search for all open negotiations, use the Search Negotiations fields at the
top of the Negotiations Home page. You can search by Negotiation Title,
Negotiation Number, Contact (the buyer who created the negotiation),
Category (all negotiations having an item from that category value), Item
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(the item description) or Event (all negotiations associated with a Sourcing

event .
2. After you have selected a search criteria and entered a search value, click Go.
The Results: Negotiations page displays all negotiations that met your
search criteria.
3. To access a negotiation, click the Number link. This will take you to the
negotiation summary page. Here you can view information on the
negotiation and submit a response.
6. Additional Information
6.1 Additional Topics
6.1.1 What are the benefits of registering and participating in this system?
This system offers extensive benefits and numerous advantages specific to buyers
and suppliers:
Benefits to All Participants

Increase sales revenue and profitability.
Reduce costs and streamline internal processes.
Squeeze time out of the supply chain by optimizing resource utilization and
improving scheduling and cycle times.
Squeeze cost out of the supply chain by reducing inventory with better
material planning and purchasing.
Discuss negotiations to obtain better information and make informed
decisions.
Reduce new product rollout cycles and enhance design for manufacture and
serviceability with real-time collaborative engineering design and concurrent
engineering.
Expand your reach across many currencies and time zones, and the system-
supported languages.
Benefits to Buyers
Obtain real-time access to a global base of suppliers.
Save money on goods and services, both direct and indirect, using new
Internet-based business practices.
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Achieve savings using advanced sourcing tools, including RFIs (requests for
information), RFQs (requests for quotations), and auctions:
o Obtain the best value by using item attributes.
o Retain and enhance best practices in sourcing by using reusable
sourcing document templates.
o Manage complex negotiations efficiently using weighted scoring and
multiple negotiation rounds.
Share product design information in real time, enabling trading partners to
collaborate to reduce new product rollout cycles.
Benefits to Suppliers
Gain access to new markets with no startup cost.
Reduce the cost of retaining existing customers and acquiring new ones.
Compete effectively by using negotiations:
o Respond easily to RFQs.
o Leverage competitive advantage emphasizing value beyond just price.
Gain access to demand information from buyers to optimize resources and
provide the lowest cost, on-time delivery of high quality products and
services.
6.1.2 Can international companies participate?

Companies from all over the world can participate on this system. This system
supports multiple languages, currencies, and time zones.
6.1.3 What is a WinZip (or zip) file?

WinZip files are "archives" used for compressing, distributing, and storing files.
WinZip files contain one or more files (for example, text files or spreadsheet files).
If you do not have the WinZip application for using WinZip files, you can download
a trial version, or order individual/site licenses, at http://www.winzip.com.
You can open and read any document archived in a WinZip file by double-clicking
the document. However, the best way to make and save changes to "zipped"
documents - for example, the spreadsheet templates used in the system - is to
extract the documents from the WinZip file prior to editing. To extract, select the
file(s) in the WinZip window and click Extract.
Note: If you have difficulty downloading WinZip files from the system, or if you
cannot see the files in a WinZip file you have downloaded, you may need to upgrade
to a WinZip version greater than 6.2.
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6.1.4 Why can't I access some pages, links, buttons, or task bar options?
All system features are controlled by function security and your userid. Function
security means that features can be used only by users who are allowed access to the
features. Your system administrator controls function security by creating a
Responsibility consisting of different functions. Users who are associated with this
responsibility can access and perform specific features. Your Sourcing responsibility
assignments determine which features you can use.
If you receive a Task Access Restriction message, or if you cannot view or access a
specific page, link, button, task bar option, or other feature, you should contact your
system administrator to request additional function assignments.
6.1.5 Whom should I contact about technical difficulties?

If you experience technical difficulties with this system you should contact your
system administrator.
6.1.6 What if I have problems uploading files?

Check the online Help about errors or failures. If you still cannot determine the
cause of an error or failure, or if your upload does not complete, note the error text if
any, the steps you performed that led to the problem, and (for bulk load jobs only)
the job number. Then contact your system administrator.
If you are using a slow dial-up connection, the connection, particularly for large files,
may time out before the system receives the file. If the feature in which you are
uploading allows, try placing the file in a WinZip file to reduce the file size or using
a faster connection to the system.
Note: Depending on how the system is set up, some browsers will not upload files
or browse directories whose names contain language-specific marks such as accents
or umlauts, or multibyte languages (such as Chinese).
6.2 Glossary
A
Agreement Terms (Blanket Purchase Agreement only)
Agreement terms are optional, and apply only when you have selected
"blanket purchase agreement" as the auction outcome.
Agreement Start Date/Agreement End Date
The period during which the blanket purchase agreement is effective.
Total Agreement Amount
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Specifies the currency amount over the course of a blanket purchase

agreement. It is the maximum amount that can be issued against a blanket
purchase agreement as long as the Amount Limit on the blanket purchase
agreement is not increased beyond the Total Agreement Amount.
Total Agreement Amount applies only to RFQs or auctions with blanket
purchase agreement outcomes.
Amount (with AutoIncrease)
See Minimum Bid Decrement.
Approved Supplier List (ASL)

All procurement organizations maintain lists that associate the items and
services they buy with the companies who supply them, either formally or
informally. Data stored in a controlled, global repository containing relevant
details about each ship-from/ship-to/item relationship, is known as an
Approved Supplier List (ASL). This repository includes information about
all suppliers with business statuses including Approved, Debarred, or New.
Attachments (Attachment URL)
Attachments contain additional descriptive information about items, such as
technical specifications or engineering drawings.
Attachments can be an attached file, a URL address of a file, a short or long
text message, or an existing document from the system document catalog.
For each attachment negotiation creators select, they identify the class of
accessor by assigning the attachment a category value. Depending on the
category value assigned, only the appropriate users can view the attachment. .
The file size limit for attachments is 10 MB. For attachment files larger than
10 MB, use an attachment URL. Post the attachment file to an Internet site,
and enter the full URL (for example: http://www.mysite.com/filename.doc)
at which the attachment can be accessed.
B
Best Price (Best Quote/Bid Price)
The best price quote/bid is the quote/bid that includes the lowest price for an
RFQ/Auction item.
Bid Ranking
See Quote/Bid Ranking
Bid Start Price
See Quote/Bid Start Price
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Billing Address (Bill-To Address)

The address to which bills for purchased items is sent. You can enter
multiple billing addresses.
Blanket Purchase Agreement
See RFQ/Auction Outcome.
Blind (Negotiation Style)
See Negotiation Style.
Buyer's Auction
An auction to purchase items or services that are clearly defined such as
office furniture or memory chips. Buyers can tailor each auction to control
who can see bids during the auction, whether multiple rounds of bidding are
possible, and whether partial bids are allowed. Also called a reverse auction.
C
Carrier
The shipping company that delivers items to a buyer.
Category
The broad family or group to which an item or service belongs.
Collaboration Team
A group of buyers from the same purchasing organization who can collaborate on
the creation and management of a sourcing document. Collaboration team members
can be any user within the same organization to which the creator belongs. Members
can be restricted to read only access meaning they can view but not update any
information. Other members can be assigned specific tasks and given deadlines by
which these tasks must be completed. Finally, some members can be designated
approvers. Approvers must OK the document content before it can be published.
Current Price
The current price represents the assessed value, relative value, or regular
"list" price of a negotiation item. The current price can be used to analyze
negotiation performance. Suppliers cannot view the current price.
D
Date Format
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The format (for example, 12/31/1999; 31/12/1999) in which you enter and
view dates on the system. Click the Preferences icon to set your preferred
date format.
E
Estimated Quantity (blanket purchase agreements only)
The organization's best estimate of demand for the item over the life of the blanket
agreement. Note that this field is optional for blanket purchase agreements and
cannot be scored.
Exchange Rate
The rate used to convert values between currencies.
Exchange Rate Date
The date on which the currency exchange rate is taken from the operating
unit's currency exchange rate table. .
Exchange Rate Type
When creating a multi-currency negotiation the buyer selects the exchange
rate type:
System exchange rates
Exchange rates that have been bulk loaded into the system's exchange
rate table for a particular date. There can be many different system
exchange rates defined.
User-Defined Rates
Exchange rates the buyer enters when defining response currencies for a
negotiation.
F
FOB
FOB (Free on Board) determines the point at which a buyer takes title of
goods purchased. The following FOB options may be available:
Origin
Supplier's responsibility for goods ceases upon transfer to carrier.
Destination
Supplier's responsibility for goods ceases upon acceptance by buyer.
CIF - Cost, Insurance and Freight
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Supplier must pay the costs, insurance and freight necessary to bring the
goods to the specified port of destination.
EXW - Ex Works
Supplier's responsibility ceases when the goods become available to the
buyer at the supplier's premises.
FCA - Free Carrier
Supplier's responsibility ceases when he has handed over the goods,
cleared for export, to the buyer's designated carrier at the named place or
point.
FAS - Free Alongside Ship

Supplier responsibility ceases when the goods have been placed
alongside the vessel on the quay or in lighters at the named port of
shipment.
FOB - Free on Board
Supplier's obligation to deliver ceases when the goods have passed over
the ship's rail at the named port of shipment.
CFR - Cost and Freight
Supplier pay the cost and freight to bring the goods to the named port of
destination, but the risk of loss/damage to the goods transfers from
supplier to buyer once the goods pass the ship's rail in the port of
shipment.
CPT - Carriage Paid To
Supplier pays the freight for the carriage of the goods to the named
destination.
CIP - Carriage and Insurance Paid To
Supplier pays the freight and cargo insurance for the carriage of the
goods to the named destination.
DAF - Delivered at Frontier
Supplier's obligation ceases when the goods have been made available, or
cleared for export, at the named point and place at the frontier, but before
the customs border of the adjoining country.
DES - Delivered Ex Ship
Supplier's obligation ceases when the goods have been made available to
the buyer on board the ship uncleared for import at the named port of
destination.
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DEQ - Delivered Ex Quay

Supplier's obligation ceases when the goods have been made available to
the buyer on the quay at the named port of destination, cleared of
importation.
DDU - Delivered Duty Unpaid
Supplier's obligation ceases when the goods have been made available at
the named place in the country of importation.
DDP - Delivered Duty Paid
Supplier's obligation when the goods have been made available at the
named place in the country of importation.
Freight Terms
Freight terms specify the provisions for payment of freight. The following
freight terms may be available:
Allowed
Supplier reimburses buyer for freight.
Due
Buyer pays freight.
Paid
Supplier pays freight.
Prepaid
Supplier pays freight and invoices buyer.
Functional Currency (Negotiation Currency)
The currency in which an operating unit conducts business on the system.
For example, if an operating unit's currency is USD, then USD is the default
currency that appears whenever a user from that operating unit creates a new
sourcing document.
G
Global Agreements
Global agreements are a type of blanket purchase agreement. Global agreements
can be used by multiple organizations within a company. The agreement is
owned and maintained by the creator's organization, but the agreement can be
accessed by any of the authorized organizations. When an organization processes
a release against the global agreement, the terms and conditions (for example,
the ship-to address and billing information) that are applicable to that
organization are used even though they may be different from the terms and
conditions of the owning organization. Releases against a global agreement are
processed as standard purchase orders.
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K
L
Lead Time
The number of days between the order date and the shipment date (not
between order date and receipt date).
Line Types
A negotiation line item's line type determines whether the line item refers to
goods or services (other line types can also be defined).
M
Minimum Bid Decrement
The minimum amount by which bids must decrease This is set in the
auction's bid controls. You can enter either a straight amount or a percentage
by which bids must improve.
Note: A bid decrement amount will always be applied to a bidder's
current bid price. If you specify your bid decrement amount as a
percentage, the decrement percentage will be calculated based on a
bidder's original bid price, but will be applied to the bidder's current
bid price. For example:
Auction #1234; bid decrement = $100
Bidder A's original bid = $1,000
Bidder A's second bid = $900
Bidder A's third bid = $800
Auction #2234; bid decrement = 20%

Bidder B's original bid = $1,000
Bidder B's second bid = $800
Bidder B's third bid = $600
Minimum Release Amount

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Specifies the smallest currency amount for any single release of goods during
the timeframe of a blanket purchase agreement. It is the minimum amount
that can be issued against a blanket purchase agreement header or blanket
purchase agreement line or both.
Minimum release amount applies only to RFQs or auctions with blanket
purchase agreement outcomes.
N
Negotiation Dates
Depending on the type of negotiation, buyers set four dates for each
negotiation (*indicates a required field):
Preview Date (RFXs, auctions)
During the preview period, all eligible suppliers may view the
RFx/auction but not submit responses.
*Open Date
The date and time the negotiation opens.
*Close Date
The date and time the negotiation closes. Once closed, no further
responses may be accepted.
Award Date (RFQs and auctions)
The date and time by which RFQ/auction will be awarded. While buyers
are encouraged to honor their award dates, the system does not enforce
these dates.
Negotiation Style
The style determines who will be able to see the quotes/bids and when. The
three styles are:
Open (RFIs and auctions only)
All suppliers can see the quotes/bids, though the responding supplier's
identity is concealed.
Blind
Only the buyer can see the quotes/bids.
Sealed
The buyer can see the responses when the negotiation is unlocked. Both
the buyer and suppliers can see the responses when they are unsealed.
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O
Open (Negotiation Style)
P
Payment Terms
Specify the provisions of payment for goods or services purchased.
Percentage (with AutoIncrease)
See Minimum Bid Decrement.
Power Quote/Bid
Power Quote/Bid allows you to expedite your rebidding when you have bid on
several items in the same auction. When you use power bid, all of your bids
(losing and winning) in an auction are improved by the percentage you enter in
the Power Bid field. Power bidding cannot be used if any of the auction items
contain price elements.
Price Breaks (blanket purchase agreements on goods-based items only)
Price breaks allow buyers and suppliers to negotiate multiple prices for the
same item. Price breaks can be based on Quantity, Ship-To address, and
Effective Date. To add price breaks to an item, click Enter or Edit Price
Break Targets.
Price Differential
A multiplier applied under certain circumstances to a rate-based labor cost,
for example, vacation or overtime pay rates
Price Element
Price elements allow a buyer to identify additional costs associated with a
particular negotiation item. Such costs could include services such as training
or consulting, or discrete costs such as shipping fees. Buyers can specify
when they create the RFQ or auction how much they are willing to pay for
these additional costs. These costs can then be negotiated between a buyer
and supplier just like the item price.
Price Element List
See Reusable Price Element Lists
Price Precision
The number of decimal places allowed for per-unit prices entered in the
RFx/Auction currency. The precision you set doesn't apply to per-unit prices
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entered in a currency other than the RFx/Auction currency no does it apply to

currency amounts such as Bid Total or the bid value of Fixed-Amount price
elements. While you can set the precision for unit-prices entered in a non-
RFx/Auction currency when you define your currency list, the precision for
amounts is automatically governed by the standards defined by the ISO
(International Organization for Standardization). The ISO standards are used
automatically by Sourcing.
Price to Total Score Ratio

In an RFQ or auction using Multi-Attribute Weighted Scoring, the price to
total score ratio is determined by dividing the Quote/Bid price for an item by
the total score for that item. The price to total score ratio is then used to rank
competing quotes/bids. For more information see, Can I rank bids on
attributes other than price?
Pricing Basis
The method used when using a price element to calculate the Quote/Bid price:
Per-Unit
The value is added to the item price.
Fixed Amount
The value is divided by the quantity of units Quote/Bidd and added to the
item price.
% of Item Price
The value is divided by 100, then multiplied by the item price, and the
result added to the item price.
Proxy Bid
By activating proxy bid in an auction, you allow the system to automatically
rebid on your behalf whenever a competing bid price beats your bid price.
See "What is proxy bidding?"
Proxy Bid Decrement
The exact amount by which you want each of your proxy rebids to decrease .
The proxy bid decrement amount applies to all items on which you submit
proxy bids in a single auction.
You cannot change your decrement amount after you submit it.
Proxy Bid Minimum Bid
The lowest price you are willing to proxy bid for any auction item. Whenever
your bid price is higher than a competing bid price, the system will continue
to automatically rebid (by the proxy bid increment/decrement amount you
specify) until your proxy minimum bid price is met.
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After you have submitted your proxy minimum bid amount, you cannot
change this amount unless the minimum amount is met in the auction
bidding.
Q
Quote/Bid Ranking
Quote/Bid Ranking method determines how bids and quotes are ranked.
When creating a sourcing document, the buyer can choose between two
methods, Price Only or Multi-Attribute Weighted Scoring. In a Price Only
negotiation the lowest price Quote/Bid receives the best rank.
In a Multi-Attribute Weighted Scoring negotiation, the buyer can select
attributes other than price to be included in the best rank calculation. The
bids and quotes are ranked with the lowest price to total score ratio receiving
the best rank. The buyer can choose to display the scoring criteria to the
suppliers.
Quote/Bid Start Price
The price at which Quoting/Bidding for an item must begin. A Start Price is
not required, but if the buyer specifies one, all quotes/bids in an RFQ or
auction must be equal to or below the Start Price.
R
Rank Indicator
The rank indicator specifies how response rankings are displayed. If allowed
by the system administrator, you can choose from three different indicators.
Win/Lose displays "Win" for the best ranked Quote/Bid and "Lose" for all
others. "1,2,3..." displays "1" for the best Quote/Bid and sequentially
numbers the remaining bids in order of rank. "None" displays no ranking
indicator.
Response Currency
If a buyer allows responses in currencies other than the negotiation currency,
the buyer must define the currencies in which responses are accepted.
Reusable Price Element Lists
Reusable Price Element Lists allow you to group several price elements
which are related or are typically used together. Once you have created a
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price element list, you can apply that price element list to any negotiations
(RFQs or auctions) containing items to which those price elements are
applicable.
RFI (Request for Information)
RFI's are used to qualify suppliers and their goods and services for
subsequent procurement activities. RFIs are used more for gathering
information on goods and service provided by a supplier than to lock in
particular price information. Therefore, one unique feature of an RFI is that
buyers can choose to define negotiation line items without price and quantity
and specify lists of criteria to which suppliers must respond. RFIs can be
taken to multiple rounds until the buyer has enough information to identify
supplier(s) with which to deal. At the conclusion of the RFI cycle, the
information contained in the RFI can be copied into an RFQ or buyer's
auction.
RFQ (Request for quotes)

RFQs enable buyers to collect quotes from suppliers for complex and hard-
to-define items or services such as made-to-order manufacturing or
construction projects. Once suppliers have submitted an initial round of
quotes, the buyer has the power to fine-tune the RFQ and initiate detailed
negotiations as necessary. The process may go through multiple rounds of
negotiations and quote before completion.
RFQ/Auction Outcome
The outcome of an auction or an RFQ can be:
Standard Purchase Order
A one-time purchase, after which the buyer is not committed to any
future purchases.
Blanket Purchase Agreement
The buyer commits to a contract for future purchases and can enter
agreement terms.
RFx Currency
See Negotiation Currency.
S
Score
(In Multi-Attribute Weighted Scoring only). A number between 0 and 100
assigned to each acceptable Quote/Bid response. The score is multiplied by
the weight assigned to the attribute to calculate the weighted score for the
attribute. The sum of all weighted scores is the bid or quote's total score
which is used to determine the rank of the response.
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Sealed (Negotiation Style)

Security Level
You can create a sourcing document having a security level of Public, Private, or
Hierarchy. Each level of security restricts access to the document.
Public
Any user in the company has access to public sourcing documents. The
actions users can perform is determined by their functional security.
Buyers can define an additional collaboration team for a public document,
but access is not restricted only to members of the team. Actions
collaboration team members can perform is determined on their functional
security and whether they are identified as view-only.
Private
Only the document owner and the members of the collaboration team can
access the document. The actions the collaboration team members can
perform is determined by their functional security and their view-only status
values.
Hierarchy
Only the document owner, the members of the collaboration team (if any),
and individuals included in the security hierarchy can access the document.
Any subsequent approvers can also access the document.
Shipping Address (Ship-To Address)

The address to which items are delivered. .
Shipping Terms
Refer to who will pay for shipping of goods to the buyer. The following
shipping term options may appear:
Paid by Buyer
Buyer of the goods pays for shipping.
Paid by Seller
Seller of the goods pays for shipping.
Other
If "Other" is selected, enter a text note explaining shipping terms in the
Notes field.
Standard Purchase Order
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See Auction Outcome.

Supplier Master
A repository of information about suppliers from whom you purchase goods
and services. Set up in Oracle Purchasing using the Suppliers window. For
each supplier there may be multiple supplier sites.
T
Tab-Delimited Text File
In tab-delimited text (.txt) files, fields are separated by the tab character, but
without any special formatting characters. Spreadsheet applications are
recommended to open tab-delimited text files.
Target Price
The price a buyer hopes to pay for one unit of an auction item
Time Zone
You can select the time zone in which you will conduct your system
transactions. Click "Edit Personal Information" from the Sourcing Welcome
page to set your time zone preference.
Total Ageements Amonut
To Be Determined (TBD) Pricing

A buyer can specify that the pricing will be determined at a later date. This is
helpful if pricing is based on a published standard and/or tariff. Pricing may
not be available or published at the time the offer is created or during the
open period.
Total Score
(Multi-Attribute Weighted Scoring) The score calculated for a bid or quote
based on a supplier's responses to an item's weighted attributes. For more
information, see Can I rank bids on attributes other than just price?
The total amount of a Blanket Purchsareerment

The total amount of a Blanket Purchard Ageermenr.
U
Unit
The unit of measure (UOM) in which items are listed. The system recognizes
the UN standardized UOM codes.
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V
Value Type
The type of value that suppliers should enter for item attributes:
Characters (letters/words)
Numbers (digits)
Dates (numbers in date format)
URL (using the format http://www.oracle.com)
Text is the most flexible value type. If you select Text, buyers can enter
letters as well as digits. If you select Numbers, buyers can only enter digits;
if you select Dates, buyers can only enter digits in date format.
W
Weight
(Multi-Attribute Weighted Scoring only) On a scale on 1 to 100, the weight
of a scored attribute as compared to other attributes. Weights for scored
attributes must total 100 and each scored attribute must have a weight of at
least 1.
Winning Quote/Bid
The winning quote/bid is the response which most correctly meets the
requirements of the negotiation. A response's acceptability is generally based
on price, however, the quantity available, availability date, may also be
important. The winning response is selected by the buyer.
Y
Your Response/Quote/Bid/ Number
You can associate a number with any bid or quote you submit. You can use
this number for your own internal tracking.
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6.3 Documentation Accessibility

Our goal is to make Oracle products, services, and supporting documentation
accessible, with good usability, to the disabled community. To that end, our
documentation includes features that make information available to users of assistive
technology. This documentation is available in HTML format, and contains markup
to facilitate access by the disabled community. Standards will continue to evolve
over time, and Oracle is actively engaged with other market-leading technology
vendors to address technical obstacles so that our documentation can be accessible to
all of our customers. For additional information, visit the Oracle Accessibility
Program Web site at: http://www.oracle.com/accessibility/.
6.3.1 Accessibility of Code Examples in Documentation

JAWS, a Windows screen reader, may not always correctly read the code examples
in this document. The conventions for writing code require that closing braces
should appear on an otherwise empty line; however, JAWS may not always read a
line of text that consists solely of a bracket or brace.
6.3.2 Accessibility of Links to External Web Sites in Documentation

This documentation may contain links to Web sites of other companies or
organizations that Oracle does not own or control. Oracle neither evaluates nor
makes any representations regarding the accessibility of these Web sites.
6.4 Product Integration and Licensing

This documentation includes information about many features of Oracle
Applications other than this product. These other Oracle Applications may require
separate licenses, and must be fully installed to take advantage of their features.
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7. Appendix
7.1 What are the Sourcing Intelligence reports I can generate?

You can generate any of the following Sourcing Intelligence reports:
Awards by Supplier report
Savings by Category report
Awarded Bids Detail report
Awarded Quotes report
Perspective for Java licensed from Three D Graphics, Inc. Copyright 2000 Three D
Graphics, Inc.
7.1.1 What are the Awards by Supplier report?

each sourcing transaction.type (bid or quote), as well as the total amount awarded to
column headings
To run the Awards by Supplier report, see Section 4.1.3.1 «How do I run the
reports?"
amounts.
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7.1.2 What is the Savings by Item report?

Once you have the Savings by Category report generated, you can further drill down
into the categories and display how much you have generated by item within that
category. You click the category to obtain a list of items within that category and
how much revenue you have received off that item. For each supplier, the report
shows the total amount paid to this supplier.
To run the Savings by Item report, see "How do I run the reports?"
Note the following when generating and evaluating report information
amounts.
7.1.3 What is the Awarded Bids Detail report?

Any report displaying calculated amounts do not include any RFI amounts.
unspecified.
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7.1.4 What is the Awarded Quotes report?

quote number.
amounts.
7.2 Reusable Attribute Lists
7.2.1 How do I create an attribute list?

You can create attribute lists to include in your sourcing document templates or to
use when creating new negotiations. Attribute lists are named groups of line
attributes (line characteristics) that applies to a line in a negotiation. If you include
an attribute list in a negotiation template, the attributes on the list will apply to all
lines added to a negotiation created with that template (though the buyer who is
using the template can edit and remove attributes as appropriate).
To create an attribute list:
1. Click "Attribute" under the Reusable Lists area of Quick Links on the
Negotiations Home page .
2. On the Reusable Attribute Lists page, click either Create Header Attribute
List or Create Line Attribute List .
3. On the Create Header Atttribute List/Create Line Attribute List page,
enter a name and description of your list and select a status. Active lists are
available for use by buyers during negotiation creation. Buyer cannot create
inactive lists .
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4. Complete the required attribute fields. Click Add Another Row and
continuing defining attributes until you have finished entering attributes.
Click Submit
7.3 What are score settings and how do I use them with header
attributes?
While defining your negotiation header, you can choose to also define header
attributes. Select Scoring Settings above the Attributes table to define the defaults
that will be used for your header attributes. You define the following defaults:
Enable weights
If you click this checkbox, a Weight column appears in the Attributes section
in addition to the other attribute columns. You use this column to weight this
attribute in relation to all the other header attributes. Weights are used along
with the scores you enter during the analysis phase of the negotiation. to
calculate the value for a supplier's response to this attribute. Weighted scores
for all header attributes are added together to give the total score for a
response. See How do I score header attributes? for details on how weighted
scores are used.
Display scoring criteria to suppliers
Select this checkbox to allow suppliers to see the criteria you will use when
scoring their responses.
Default maximum score.
You can enter a number that represents the highest number that can be
entered for any header attribute. This is the default value that appears
throughout the negotiation for a particular attribute unless you change that
attribute's default.
Note: The settings you specify here apply to all header attributes. If you change the
max score, it only applies to new attributes.
7.3.1 What are header attributes and how do I use them?

You can define header attributes that apply at the negotiation level. These attributes
often solicit information about the supplier. Examples of header attributes might be
years the supplier has been in business
the supplier's business structure (public or private)
the supplier's business status (minority or woman owned)
Using header attributes allows you to obtain important information on other aspects
of a supplier such as past performance, personnel qualification, and financial
visibility. Knowing such information provides you with a better understanding of the
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supplier and allows you to make a more informed award decision. Then when
making your award decision, you can view the supplier responses and manually
assign a score that reflects the desirability of the response. See How do I score
header attributes? for more information on the use of header attributes.
You score header attributes differently than line attributes. With line attributes, you
must identify all possible responses and assign a score to each while you are
defining your negotiation. With header attributes, you define the maximum value
that can be assigned to the attribute (and possibly its weight if weights are being
used). Suppliers must include responses to header attributes as well as negotiation
lines. Then at analysis time, you explicitly enter score values, and the system uses
the scores you entered (and possible the attribute's weight) to calculate the score for
that attribute .
See How do I score header attributes? for an explanation on entering score values
and how a header attribute's score is calculated .
See What information must I provide to create my negotiation header? for
instructions on creating header attributes.
7.4 How do I enter business terms and conditions for my RFxs and
auctions?
Whether you create a new RFI/RFQ or auction or edit a draft, you must enter the
business terms and conditions that will govern the negotiation.
After you have entered your description, click the "Enter Business Terms and
Conditions" link to access the Enter Business Terms and Conditions page. Enter
the following details (*indicates a required field):
RFx/Auction Currency
The currency in which you will enter and view all monetary values. The
currency is always defaults to the functional currency for your organization
and is display only.
If you select the "Allow responses in other currencies" option, click the
"Define currency list" link to select the currencies you will accept and enter
exchange rates and price precisions for those currencies.
When you view the responses you have received, the system will
automatically convert them to your default functional currency.
* Price Precision
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The number of decimal places allowed for per-unit prices entered in the
RFx/Auction currency. The precision you set doesn't apply to per-unit prices
entered in a currency other than the RFx/Auction currency, nor does it apply
to currency amounts such as Bid Total or the bid value of Fixed-Amount
price elements. While you can set the precision for unit-prices entered in a
non-RFx/Auction currency when you define your currency list, the precision
for amounts is automatically governed by the standards defined by the ISO
(International Organization for Standardization). The ISO standards are used
automatically by Sourcing.
Agreement Terms
If you select blanket purchase agreement as the negotiation outcome, use can
use the following fields for additional information:
o Global Agreement
o Effective Start/Effective End
Use the pop-up calendar to identify the start and end dates of the
agreement.
o Total Agreement Amount
The amount the buyer agrees to spend with the supplier over the
course of the agreement.
o Minimum Release Amount
*Billing Address
Address to which your RFQ/Auction bills should be sent. Click the flashlight
icon to browser for other addresses. You can select any of the addresses
defined for your operating unit in Oracle Human Resources. The default
address is defined in Oracle Purchasing.
Payment Terms
The payment terms for your suppliers. The possible values are defined in
Oracle Payables. The default is set in Oracle Purchasing.
*Ship-To Address
Address to which the RFQ/Auction items will be shipped. Click the
flashlight icon to browse for other addresses. The possible values for your
operating unit are defined in Oracle Human Resources. The default address is
set in Oracle Purchasing.
Carrier
The freight carrier your supplier should use. The possible values for your
operating unit are defined in Oracle Inventory. The default is set in Oracle
Purchasing.
FOB
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The FOB terms for your supplier. The possible values and the default are
defined in Oracle Purchasing.
Freight Terms
The freight terms for your supplier. The possible values and the default are
defined in Oracle Purchasing.
Note to Bidders
Add Attachment
When you have finished entering your business terms and conditions, click the "Add
Items" link to proceed to the next step, or you can save the negotiation as a draft by
clicking Save Draft. The draft document is available from the Negotiations Home
page.
7.5 How do I use the Graphical Monitor to view responses to items

in my negotiation?
You can use the Graphical Monitor to easily view all the responses given to any item
on a negotiation you have created or to which you have responded as long as the
negotiation is still open and is not a blind or sealed negotiation. This means that
respondents can only use the Graphical Monitor to view bids in an open auction
although the buyer can view open or blind auctions, as well as blind RFQs. Any time
you are on a page on which the graphical monitor icon appears and is enabled, you
can use the monitor to graph the progress of the negotiation items and the responses
they've received over time.
To use the Graphical Monitor:
1. Click on the monitor icon.
2. Select the item whose performance you wish to see.
3. Click View Monitor. A new window opens showing the current responses on
the item you selected.
On this window you see:
o the negotiation name
o the remaining time
o the last Quote/Bid (displayed in the negotiation currency)
o the last Quote/Bid quantity
On the Graphic Monitor, all quotes/bids are displayed as dots. The current
winning Quote/Bid is enclosed in a circle. Additionally, if you are a
respondent, your bid is enclosed in a rectangle. Holding the cursor over a bid
displays its current price. If the bid belongs to you, you will see your name
and price; if the bid does not belong to you, you see only the price. If you are
the buyer, you see both for all bids.
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By default, the display begins at the time the negotiation was opened. You
can condense or expand the display by controlling its time display
increments. The display can be shown in minutes, hours, or days. Select the
increment you want from the drop down menu, and the display is
automatically refreshed using the new increments. The time values shown
across the bottom of the display can help you determine the relative timing of
different responses. You can also move directly to either the beginning or the
end of the negotiation by clicking the appropriate small arrow icon.
7.6 Why are some RFQs and auctions associated with a sourcing
event?
In some instances, the buyer may create a sourcing event to group together several
related RFQs/auctions. Sourcing events help both buyers and suppliers monitor
multiple RFQs/auctions as a group rather than individually. In addition, events
enable suppliers to quickly locate and participate in multiple similar RFQ/Auctions,
rather than searching for them individually.
Though the RFQs or auctions grouped in a sourcing event are related, you must
respond to each individually.
To access an event:
1. Click the Negotiations tab, then click Auctions or RFQ in the task bar
directly below the tabs.
2. Click the "View All Events" link.
3. Select the event you want to view. Click View Event Negotiations to see
details of the sourcing event.
7.7 What are reusable price elements and how do I create them?
Price elements allows a buyer to identify additional costs associated with a particular
negotiation item. Such costs could include services such as training or consulting, or
discrete costs such as shipping fees. Buyers can specify when they create the auction
or RFQ how much they are willing to pay for these additional costs. These costs can
then be negotiated between a buyer and supplier just like the item price.
You must be assigned the Create Price Elements job function to create price
elements. The Sourcing Super User has this job function by default. Sourcing Buyers
may also have been assigned this job function by the system administrator.
Once you create the appropriate price elements, you can combine them into a price
element list. You apply this element list to your auction or RFQ.
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To create a reusable price element:

1. From the Sourcing Welcome page, click the Auctions or the
RFQs tab.
2. Click "Price Elements" under Auction/RFQ Tools.
3. On the Price Elements page, select the language for which
you are defining the price element. You can define the same
price element to every language installed.
4. Click "Create Price Element."
5. On the Create Price Element page, enter information for the
following fields:
Code - this code must be unique within all price
element codes
Price Element Name - this name must be unique
within all price element names.
Description - a text description of the price element
Pricing Basis - how the cost for this price element is
determined.
Per-Unit - a fixed amount for each unit of the
item.
Fixed Amount - a fixed amount regardless of
the number item units.
% of Item Price - a percentage of the final
negotiated item price.
Status - The default status is active. You can change
the statue to Inactive to prevent the price element from
being added to any negotiations.
6. When you have finished entering, click Done. You return to
the Price Elements page.
7.8 Can suppliers communicate with each other while a negotiation

is in process?
This file has been obsolete. Please see How do buyers and suppliers communicate
while a negotiation is in progress? (See Section 2.4.9)
Page 204/209
7.9 About Contract Templates

Oracle Contracts enables you to define a standard set of templates to easily default
terms and conditions for contracts authored by your organization. You can create
templates that include both clauses and deliverables. These templates can then be
used to default clauses and deliverables on a contract.
A contract template can consist of:
o Clauses
o Variables
o Deliverables
Note: The Deliverables functionality is currently supported only on
contract templates with the Buy intent.
7.9.1 About Clauses

A standard clause is the legal or business language used to author a contract. Clauses
are drafted based on both business and statutory requirements.
Standard Clauses
A standard clause is a clause defined in the Library (See Appendix 7.9.2 “About the
Contract Terms Library”).
You can create and modify standard clauses in the Library.
In order to make standard clauses available to be used in business documents, you
must perform the following steps:
1. Add the clauses to a contract template.
You can either approve clauses before adding them to the contract
template, or you can leave the clauses in draft form. Prior to
approval, the contract template can contain both approved and draft
clauses.
2. Approve the contract template.
3. Apply the contract template to a business document.
After you apply the contract template to a business document, all the clauses in the
contract template automatically become standard clauses in the business document.
Unless protected, the text of a standard clause in the business document can be
changed, at which point the clause becomes a non-standard clause.
Non-Standard Clauses
Non-standard clauses exist only in business documents, not in contract templates.
A non-standard clause is a clause that you create to add in directly into the business
document, or a standard clause that you edit and make non-standard.
Page 205/209
7.9.1.1 About the Contract Terms Library

The Contract Terms Library is the central library of all pre-approved clauses,
contract templates, and Contract Expert rules that can be used to create contracts
across the enterprise.
Note: The Contract Terms Library is generally referred to as the Library.
The Library gives the legal department and business organizations a powerful tool to
create reusable clauses. Clauses can be grouped into sections and stored as reusable
contract templates to codify best practices. Templates provide a framework for rapid
assembly and creation of contracts. These capabilities provide the foundation for
contract process standardization and control across the enterprise. Another key
feature of the Library is the ability to establish global standards and enforce these
standards enterprise-wise. Organizations can manage clauses and templates centrally
in a global organization. Local organizations can then use or duplicate these clauses
and templates and customize them to meet their own specific local requirements.
You can use the Contract Expert feature of Oracle Contracts to create rules that
represent the business policies of the organization. These rules can be applied on a
business document to bring in additional clauses based on the information in the
business document.
In addition to standard clauses and contract templates, the Library supports the
creation and maintenance of a library of folders, sections, and variables.
7.9.2 About Variables

Oracle Contracts supports the use of business variables (tokens) in clause text.
During authoring, these tokens will be substituted with values from the business
document. Oracle Contracts supports the following types of variables:
o System-defined variables
o Table variables
o Deliverable variables
o User-defined variables
Note: Only system variables are available for use in Contract Expert.
This section also includes the following topics:
o Variable Identification
o Value Sets for Variables
System-Defined Variables
These represent contract document attributes such as payment terms, customer name,
and supplier name. You can embed system variables in the clause text, which will be
automatically substituted with values when the clause is used in a contract. System
variables are also available to be used in defining Contract Expert rules.
Page 206/209
Table Variables
Attach Table type variables to clause text, to display product and pricing information
as part of contract terms. The actual products and prices are sourced from the
business document during contract authoring.
Note: Table variables are only supported only for Sell intent clauses.
Oracle Contracts supports the following seeded table variables:
o Lines
o Modifiers
o Price Lists
Deliverable Variables
Attach Deliverable type variables to clause text to display deliverable information as
part of contract terms.
Note: Deliverable variables are only supported for Buy intent clauses.
Oracle Contracts supports the following seeded deliverable variables:
o Supplier Contractual Deliverable
o Buyer Contractual Deliverable
o All Contractual Deliverables
o Supplier Negotiation Deliverables
o All Negotiation Deliverables
User-Defined Variables
User-defined variables are tokens that the business defines over and above the
system variables. You must provide values for these variables, as part of the contract
authoring process.
Variable Identification
The application can only identify a variable if the variable is enclosed within the
following special characters:
[@VARIABLE_NAME@]
For instance, the Payment Terms system variable needs to be captured with the
following tags:
[@Payment Terms@]
Page 207/209
Value Sets for Variables

When you define value sets in the FND value sets for variables and you set the
Validation Type to Independent, you must set the List Type to:
o Poplist: If you want to define less than 200 values for that Value Set
in FND.
o List of Values: If you want to provide more than 200 values for that
Value Set in FND.
7.9.3 About Deliverables

Businesses enter into contractual agreements with their trading partners, and as part
of the contractual agreement will have commitments to fulfill. The commitments on
the business documents, besides products and services bought or sold are classified
as deliverables, under the Terms and Conditions of the business document. In
addition to the contractual commitments that businesses need to fulfill, they might
define other internal tasks that contribute to the overall execution of the business
document.
You can define deliverables as part of the contract template creation process. If a
business document refers to a contract template, all deliverables associated to that
contract template are copied to the business document.
Note: You can only define deliverables for contract templates with the Buy intent.
When a contract template is applied to a business document, you can update the
deliverables that have become part of the business document, and you can create
new deliverables specifically for the business document.
Note: If you want to see information about deliverables in the preview output of a
business document, you must create one or more special "deliverables" clauses. For
more information, see Deliverable Variables in Clauses .
You can perform the following operations on deliverables in contract templates and
business documents:
o Creating and Updating Deliverables
o Viewing Deliverable Details
o Reordering Deliverables
o Deleting Deliverables
For deliverables in business documents, you can check which deliverables are
overdue, and if any responsible party failed to perform one or more deliverables. In
addition, you can update the status of the deliverables in the business documents.
Note: The term "overdue" applies to deliverables where the due date has passed, and
the deliverable status is either Open or Rejected.
The following list shows the operations that you can perform only on deliverables in
business documents:
Page 208/209
o Managing Deliverables Across Business Documents

o Managing Deliverables in a Business Document
Page 209/209

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1. Getting Started .......................................................................................................... 9

1.2.1.23 Can I respond to a negotiation created by someone in my company? ... 26

2.1.3.5 How do I use price elements? ................................................................ 84

4.2.3 What is the Awarded Bids Detail report? ............................................ 148

1.1 New to Sourcing?

1.1.1 What can I do with Oracle Sourcing?

Getting Started for Buyers

Getting Started for Suppliers

Getting Started for the Sourcing Super User

1.1.2 What is required of me to participate?

To download a free copy of Netscape Navigator, go to

What are cookies?

What is Secure Socket Layer (SSL)?

1.2 Getting Started with Oracle Sourcing

1.2.1 Frequently Asked Questions: Oracle Sourcing

1.2.1.1 What is Oracle Sourcing?

Guidelines for choosing a negotiation type

Description of your goods or

Easily definable item with few

Commodity and near-

Complex item with many

High number of responses

Other decision criteria - -

All participants in the

Only the buyer should be able

No one can view the responses

Requests for quotes (RFQs)

Comparison of the negotiation types:

1.2.1.3 What time saving functions are available to me when creating

Copying an existing document

Using document templates

Using Reusable Attribute Lists

Using Reusable Invitation Lists

Using draft RFQs/auctions

Creating RFQs/auctions using Autocreate

1.2.1.4 Who can utilize the spreadsheet functionality?

1.2.1.7 I just saved a negotiation as a draft document. How do I continue

You save it.

1.2.1.10 If I have saved a draft of a new Quoting/Bidding round, can I award

RFQs/auctions in Oracle Sourcing RFQs/auctions in Oracle Purchasing

Real time bidding, analysis and

RFQs can be created by copying from

Spreadsheet Quoting/Bidding possible Suppliers can quote using EDI

1.2.1.13 What happens if I cancel a negotiation having backing requisitions in

1.2.1.14 What is Multi-Attribute Weighted Scoring and how does it work?

1.2.1.15 What does the Price to Total Score ratio mean?

1.2.1.16 What is the difference between Price-Only and Multi-Attribute Weighted

1.2.1.17 Can I accept multiple currencies in my negotiation?

1.2.1.18 How do I invite non-registered supplier contacts to register with the

To invite a non-registered user when creating a negotiation:

To invite a user to register:

To register a user yourself:

1.2.1.19 How can I invite suppliers to participate in my negotiation?

Event Recipient Purpose

Preview or open To inform them that the negotiation

To invite them to acknowledge

Preview or open All invited additional To invite them to register,

Early close of an To inform them about the newly

All bidders in the open and